My feet cost me a great job…
Jun 02, 2022
True story:
I had to turn down an amazing job opportunity because of my size 11 feet.
Let me explain.
For those who work on the EU sizes, that's a whopping 43 (bordering 44), just to give you context.
And I have had those flippers since I was thirteen (lucky I was tall, nearly 6ft so I balanced out in the end).
The thing is...is that I spent a ridiculous amount of years squishing my poor toes into shoes that didn't fit.
Like really didn't fit!
I wouldn't buy anything over a size 10 and would rather get blisters and numb feet than buy shoes that were different to my friends.
But I didn't want to be different. I wanted to fit in!
I didn't want to be called "Big Em" anymore.
Every time we went out dancing I was crippled in pain, so much so that I would often have to leave early and miss out on the fun.
Eventually, when I matured (somewhat hehe) I ended up buying quality, well fitted shoes. And luckily now they do actually stock bigger sizes (thank you Diana Ferrari!).
But my feeling of "not fitting in" really hung around.
It wasn't just about the shoes. It was my whole life.
Fit in Emma. Don't stand out Emma. Do what everyone expects of you Emma. Be a good girl Emma.
My poor feet got so bad that in my thirties, I had to have surgery on the left one. I'm talking toes broken, pins put in and it took nearly a whole 12 months to walk properly again.
You might be thinking..."Em, how the heck does this relate to my career?".
Well, here's the thing...
I missed out on a really great opportunity at a comms manager role because I was scheduled for surgery.
It was my dream role working at the Spring Racing Carnival at Flemington and being an ex "horse person" it was such an amazing opportunity.
But they couldn't progress with my application because I would have been on crutches and wouldn't have been able to safely do the media componement of the role that year.
But my need to "fit in" and "not stand out" as a teenager is what made me need that damn foot surgery in the first place!
If I had of been confident enough to say "hey, thirteen year old self - you can stand out. You can have what you want. You don't have to fit in with everyone else", then maybe my journey would have looked different.
Now, I'm not one for regrets or "what ifs" and I'm not telling you this story for any other reason that to challenge you on where you might be "fitting in" with others, and not serving yourself.
Are you in a role just because you studied in that area?
Are you in that role purely because it feels "safe" but you're not enjoying it?
Are you in that role because others expect you to be a certain way?
If yes, maybe you're "wearing the wrong shoes" for where you are in life right now.
And if you're keen to change that situation, and you want to know how myself and the team can help you, hit "reply" and let me know what's currently happening.
I'll make sure I reply with some options to kick you off on the right path.