Mismatched Socks
Mark Ikemoto
Former professional job search coach with a strong reputation for providing unique creative advice. Now I'm a part-time "hobbyist" writing about job search topics.
A mother noticed that her teenage son was wearing mismatched socks.?She said “Your socks don’t match.”
He said, “That’s the idea.”
She said, “You’re just being lazy.?Go change your socks.”
He said, “But Mom, I’ve been mismatching socks for a few weeks now.?Kids at school noticed and said they really like them.?It turns out that I have some sort of eye for combining patterns and colors.”
She looked again at his socks and realized he was right.?His non-matching socks did look good together.
She said, “Maybe you should take an art class.”
He smiled.?“Expand my skill beyond socks?”
She said, “Yes.?Shirts, pants, shoes…”
Messages:
A negative may turn out to be a positive.?
A talent may first show up as a negative.?
Be open to what “mistakes” can tell us.
Sometimes you might need to change the world in order to find your place in it.