A few days ago when in conversation with someone, she said to me, ‘I sometimes feel like I am a square peg trying to fit into a round hole.’ I wonder how many other people share that same sentiment. I would guess many, many people. I know that I have often felt that way in my life. Look at my choice of profession… my choice to go to naturopathic medical school versus conventional medical school (which was the path that most people expected me to take) raised many eyebrows at the time and even some audible gasps of disapproval. It is not the norm to choose a different path than most. It takes courage and the conviction to walk your path alone when it’s necessary. At this time, especially, in the world, we are being called to really be who we are. We are getting more in touch with what works for us as individuals in all sorts of ways. This same person went on to say that ‘she is tired of doing what other people think that she should do’ and that she wants to get in touch with what she wants to do. This time is about recognizing your own individuality and allowing your own unique personal essence to shine through the collective fog. Being who you are versus who others want you to be is a crucial step in self individuation. There is collective pressure to fit in yet there are a lot of people who do not fit into the collective whole and that is okay; in fact, that is fantastic! We need a variety of people in our lives who do things differently than us to make our lives more colorful, more enriching and to allow us to see other points of view that differ from our own. You do not have to agree with other’s points of view rather listen with detached awareness. Learn to stay strong inside of yourself but do not be too attached to own your point of view either…be willing to entertain other possibilities. But what if you aren’t sure of your opinions, your interests, or what you want to do?
You have been conditioned to follow the herd, fall in line, choke back your thoughts, feelings, or opinions so as not to rock the boat. Perhaps you have walked in others footsteps that have gone before you …the path well traveled one might say, footsteps that have been deeply entrenched…and you have no idea what other path you would consider taking if the footsteps suddenly disappeared. It’s perfectly normal to feel some trepidation in learning to stand on your own two feet and direct your path from a self individuated stance. Read The Hero’s Journey by Joseph Campbell or The Road less Travelled by Scott Peck and draw the parallel in your own lives. This is a common theme for the human race as a whole. It often takes getting angry first about having not followed your own path and then subsequently finding the courage underneath to spark a small fire of desire for things to be different in your own life. The time is ripe now to know thy self, to know who you are and discover more about yourself knowing that self growth and evolution never end rather go hand in hand…So I say, congratulations for feeling like a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. You have realized this now so your journey is going to get far more interesting moving forward…