Throughout our lives, we are constantly asking questions that place us in a box: Are you a student or a full-time employee? Are you more creative or analytical? How would you describe yourself in one word? What career path are you on? These questions attempt to reduce us to one category, as if we are just one tiny statistic, but we are all so different. You may grow up, and describe yourself as an accountant, but not all accountants are the same, and that does not even come close to describing who you are as a person. Instead, stereotypes are used, assumptions are made, and growth is limited. While in surveys, we may be forced to limit ourselves to one category, one box; the same does not have to apply to our everyday lives; in fact, it shouldn’t. The more you limit yourself to that category, “I’m a finance major” or “I’m a university student,” the more danger you put yourself in.
This box limits the opportunities you are exposing yourself to and reinforces the idea that this category is all you are capable of. For example, when I first came to university in the O’Malley School of Business, I saw myself solely as a business student. So, I only joined clubs in the business school, thinking that is what I should do, that’s what I am supposed to do as a business major, as someone in that category. It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I saw all my roommates participating in Her Campus that I decided to step out of this box and try it. This was the best decision for me; it reminded me how much I loved writing, and how much more I was than just a business student. This gave me the confidence to join Lotus the following year, where I am now the Beauty and Fashion co-editor. If I had kept myself in my box, I would have limited myself to all opportunities and growth.
Similarly, by keeping yourself confined to one label, you may miss opportunities that you never realized were available. When we identify too strongly with a specific major or job title, we often follow the most common or expected path, rather than creating one of our own. I still struggle with this mindset myself. I noticed this clearly when talking to my cousin Kylan, who studied Exercise Physiology and Chemistry. Many of her friends in her program were going to graduate school or med school, and she decided to take a more unconventional path. She followed her passion for dance, became a fitness instructor while at school, and ultimately stepped outside her expected trajectory. Today, we work with Joffrey Ballet School as part of their Health and Wellness team and are instructors at Equinox. All of this would not have happened if she had followed this “safe” or traditional path laid out for her.
Lastly, putting yourself in a box can promote negative thinking. If I were to tell myself, “I am just a finance major, I’m good at math, I can’t write,” I would subconsciously be limiting what I am capable of. It is easy to say, “this isn’t my expertise,” and quit before trying. We may avoid new experiences because they don’t align with our job description, or we are afraid of failure. But who’s to say that you will fail? And even if you do, failure breeds growth. It’s ok to take a chance and step outside your box; you never know what you might find.