The Broader Sense

We shouldn't care about fitting in. Just be yourself. But how far can you carry that argument? In the larger sense "being like everyone else" can mean having a job and paying your bills.

Being myself could mean wearing pajama pants and waking up at 10 a.m., but for some reason few bosses like that. So, like many, I conform to a 9 to 5 routine.

Sometimes it's better to bite your tongue. Saying what I want to say when I want to say it probably isn't the best idea. We all live under self-imposed restraints, because if we didn't we might appear to be a little crazy or a little antagonistic or what have you.

I've seen a lone grown man do a pirouette in the middle of DQ just for the hell of it. By appearances, he definitely wasn't one who fit in with society. Perhaps self-restraint is what keeps us sane. When we truly unleash our inner selves we cross into the realm of insanity.

Mark Twain once said: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt."

Have you ever opened your mouth and said what is exactly on your mind and then regretted it the moment after? Why did you regret it? Likely because you care about what people think.

In the professional world of ladder climbing we need to sometimes break into certain groups to advance. So dress up and impress those people you don't really like just to get ahead. Otherwise it's entry level positions and wages forever. Most of us want that bigger house or at the very least to get rid of student loans.

Further to the discussion of fitting in, we all need a group to belong to, even if we say we don't. Take away all your friends and family, while those around you still have supports. Move to a town with a foreign culture and where you know no one, then trust me fitting in will become important.

Let's face it. Humans are social creatures. We all just want to belong.