Don’t Shrink
Can you think of a time when you placed something in the dryer, only to pull it out and later find that during the drying cycle an item or items had shrunk?
If you’re like most, it’s probable that you’ve experienced this.
It’s an honest mistake and can be an easy oversight. Yet, knowing that may not make the experience less frustrating in the moment; especially if it was one of your favorite shirts!
Because it means that item no longer fits, and its value to you is diminished.
While shrinking, in the literal sense, means to make smaller, and in this example, is tangibly identifiable (a shirt that doesn’t fit), shrinking in a metaphorical sense means the same, but it’s not always as noticeable. Thus, we don’t often know how to change course or remedy the situation to ensure that we don’t continue to “shrink our clothes.”
Unknowingly to us, we may shrink ourselves in particular environments, in specific situations, and/or around certain people. And unfortunately, this shrinking, if we’re not aware, can cause us to perform and show up as less than our best, and initiate internal agitation where we express outward frustration.
Considering such, the challenge this week is to become mindful of when you may notice yourself shrinking, and intentionally choose not to shrink so you can show up as the confident, bold, and capable person that you are, and deserve to be!
The challenge: don’t shrink!
Shrinking often looks like this:
Someone gives you a compliment, and you immediately return one to them.
You walk into a room, slouch your shoulders, and put your head down.
You want to ask for something, but before ever uttering the ask, you let negative self-talk creep in your mind telling you why you’re unqualified.
You get a promotion, but immediately feel like an imposter, and never let your full creativity or skillset rise, for fear that you’ll be “found out.”
Someone takes advantage of you, and rather than confronting it, you accept it.
You play it just safely enough to get by.
Please note, not all of the above are necessarily “bad” things. Context matters. For example, a returned compliment is a great display of humility, which is an admirable trait and can deepen a relationship. But in a lot of occurrences, we revert to the returned compliment because we may not feel fully worthy of what we’re receiving so we want to divert the attention away from us.
And someone taking advantage of you doesn’t always require a response. Sometimes to keep our peace, we need to purposefully walk away from things. But when something doesn’t feel right to you, and your happiness is compromised, choosing to accept that which is bothering you, is a sign of shrinking.
And you don’t deserve to shrink yourself any more! This week, promise yourself you won’t shrink. Be bold. Be proud of who you are. What you’ve overcome. What you’ve achieved. What you look like. Where you’re going. Even if things haven’t been perfect, it doesn’t mean that you don’t have worth. You do!
When you walk into rooms this week, chest out, shoulders back, and head up. Not to be arrogant, but to prove you belong. When someone gives you a compliment this week, embrace it. Appreciate it. But know that you deserve it. And when there’s an opportunity to speak up in a meeting, deliver a meaningful message, or share a word with a colleague or friend, don’t give them the abbreviated version of you, give them the full you. The world is waiting on you! Have a great week.