The Peaceful Comfort of Finding Your Place
You find peace and comfort from finding your place in the world, in life, and even online. Too often we are the round peg trying to fit into the square slot. We were told to go there or to take a certain action and it never quite felt right. You are not made like everyone else (although you can learn from them). You have to find your own way and that includes finding your “right” place.
Twitter and I get along amazingly. From the first day I met Twitter, I knew I had found a home. THEY told me I needed to be investing in Facebook and Instagram and other “shiny” new platforms. THEY told me wasting time on Twitter stole my resources from other things.
But I LOVED Twitter. I did what THEY told me but I still snuck in time for Twitter – after all, it was only a few characters and I could do other things while I perused the chats.
During one of those chats – about LinkedIn of all things – I was challenged to show my uniqueness even on LinkedIn. We are all unique, but I got caught up in all THEY had to say and had forgotten to keep my unique flag flying.
That’s when it hit me. *GASP* I had been conforming.
Find a place that’s comfortable but that also will push you to grow (mentally and connectively). Share on XI took that one suggestion and I applied it to my whole world. I am me and it is high time I stopped trying to be what THEY said I had to be. It began with a website audit, poured over into podcast creation, and landed me squarely in the middle of a dozen Twitter chats throughout the week.
Did I mention to you how much I like Twitter?
More motivation and focus came from another Twitter Chat – where we were talking finding our place in social media. It seems we are all looking for the right place to be.
“My place is the overlap of where I find comfort, purpose, connectivity, identity, community, conversation, fund, topics to gather around, and a place to build relationships. It’s an alignment of all these values. It’s an online presence incorporating social sites.” @GenePetrovLMC
Let that sit for a moment. Imagine the place that offers you all these components. Although he talked specifically about online places, this description transcends boundaries. Begin looking for your “place of overlap.”
“My place is where I can interact with friends, find enjoyable content, and follow my sports. It is kind of like a hangout spot, a place to talk, to engage with others, and to share opinions.” @eriksimon97
Your place needs to fit you or you will always struggle to feel comfortable there. You also want to be YOU where you are going. Putting on a mask and acting out a different character works on stage – temporarily. If you try to do it all the time then you will drive yourself to exhaustion.
Be you because you are the best you the world could ever know.
Be willing (and maybe even a little daring) enough to look outside of the box for your place. You don’t have to find people that are just like you or even people that are going in the same direction you are going. Surround yourself with like-minded folks – people that will inspire, encourage, or “double dog dare” you to leap into your possibilities.
“Just because we’re going to the same place doesn’t mean I want to carpool.” @Veronica_LGrady
We can have the same goals or the same business or even the same finish line, but that does not mean we are going to get there the same way. I have to find my place and you have to find your place and it is okay if it’s not the same place.
Be blessed,
Where do you find the most comfort? How did you find your place? Share your stories and links in the comments below.
Continue to grow up relationships and invest in others
Practical Proverbs offers simple ideas – pulled from the Wisdom of the Proverbs – to live a life of peace, joy, and encouragement.
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