If The Shoe Doesn't Fit, Change It.

Is it time for a new pair?

Last weekend my son was going to play with his friends as a typical 11-year-old boy does. He was in a hurry and I noticed he was frustrated while putting on his shoes as he attempted to wiggle in each foot.

He took off for the front door, walked out, only to return five minutes later to tell me that he needed a new pair of shoes. They looked worn but not more than usual. However, he insisted that they just didn't fit anymore and were becoming really uncomfortable to wear.

He proceeded to tell me that because they were tight, they were slowing him down and he couldn't run as fast as he would like. He looked at me and said, "Mommy, I know I can run faster than my friends and I want to win, but these shoes hold me back." As a growing boy, he clearly had outgrown his shoes and needed a new pair.

It got me thinking of how that relates to our own personal growth in life when we outgrow where we are.

I remember feeling as if my shoes were becoming too small a few years ago in my role. I had identified my true purpose but I wasn't able to grow into it from where I was positioned. I felt constricted and confined at the time. I began to share these feelings with my boss to see if I could build a new role that would allow me to "stretch" and spread my wings a bit.

I had been successful for many years but my role simply wasn't exciting anymore and I needed to do something more connected to my purpose.

I knew deep inside that I could do more and was made for more but I was confined to that current job. Similar to my son experiencing the need for a new pair of shoes, my "shoes" at that time simply did not fit. I was going in a different direction but I could not run down the new path. It was time for new shoes!

As months went on, I didn't move as fast as I did in previous years and I began to disengage.

Consider this in our personal growth journey, if we are not in an environment conducive to growth, we can actually shrink. Our mind sees what we can do and become, but our environment holds us back so that we conform to where we are.

When a mom goes to buy new shoes for her child, what does she normally do? She buys a size bigger so the child will have room to grow into them.

Perhaps we should be looking for areas that will be too big for us at first but allow us the room to grow into our roles? In my case, I knew if I was going to be my true self and spread my wings, it was time to find my next pair of shoes.

Now that I am wearing them, I do notice how much more productive I am and how much of a difference a little bit of room creates for my mind.

I feel more innovative and excited to get to work. I feel like I have the freedom to create and build something which aligns with what I do best. I feel that I am making an impact like never before.

I do trip over myself at times because my size is too big, but I learn from it and try again.

Maybe your shoes are getting a little tight and it's time for a new size.

There is nothing bad about outgrowing where you are. Thousands of people arrive at this reality and they have to decide what is best for them.

Is it better to stick with what you know or is it time to see how far you can go?

• Three tips to consider:
• If you feel you can do more, it's time for an honest conversation with your leader. Remember, don't simply conform ... who wants to walk around in shoes that are too tight?
• Provide a solution vs. your problem and opportunities, which could be a win-win for both of you. Paint the picture you visualize. You will have a much stronger position if the results can be quantified on a team or department level. 
• Try stretching your skills within your community to see what you can do and experiment a bit to see how you feel. You will be stretching yourself and helping others.

I leave you with this quote:

"You have to be able to recognize when you have outgrown the job you have in order to step into the calling you have been given."

- Kelly Merbler

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