But I Don’t Wear Pink
When I saw that P!NK was coming to perform in the Philadelphia area, I knew I wanted to see her, and that my sister would be the best partner in crime. Not necessarily because we hang out singing P!NK songs, but I knew her energy would be compelling for both of us. My sister booked our seats, our hotel, and our logistics…she’s the one who is the event organizer in our family.
A few days before the concert, she dropped the information that, generally, people where pink at the concert. That shouldn’t have surprised me, but my plan was to wear a black top that I love and jean shorts. I had never contemplated the idea of wearing something pink.
Fast-forward to the night before, and I had done no planning to find something pink to wear. Thankfully, my sister had ordered a few tops for herself that she had with her, one being a hot pink tank top.
Success! I now had something pink to wear to the show! And, we picked up pink hair extensions at Five Below before heading to the show. I would now look the part.
Was everyone dressed in pink? No. I would have been fine with what I considered wearing, but I wanted to look like I belonged there, and I did.
How often in life do we want to look the part or fit in and need to flex from our normal patterns? Probably quite often.
The balance, though, is feeling comfortable when you shift.
In my concert gear, I still felt like the authentic me, and when I joked with a stranger about wearing pink, they pointed out that it looked good on me. It's always a plus to get some external validation.
When we are feeling like we don’t want to flex, we need to examine the why:
Is it because we just don’t want to or feel like we shouldn’t have to?
Is it because we’re nervous about shifting because we’ve never done it before?
Is it because we don’t know what people will think?
It’s one thing for it to be about pushing out of the comfort zone and another about being rigid with a fixed mindset. When we feel ourselves reacting to doing something differently or showing up in a new way, let’s ask ourselves the question about why it doesn’t feel right.
If it really is counter to who you are and what you stand for, then don’t bend and shift.
If it’s about the comfort zone, consider the benefits of trying it a different way and see if they outweigh the risks or the discomfort.
I don’t think you’ll see me regularly showing up in hot pink outfits in the future, but I am glad that I chose to show up differently on Sunday night. And, if you were wondering, it was an amazing show, and I left feeling inspired and pretty bad-ass! One of my takeaways was that I want to be strong enough to do the feats she did and sing at that level of capability! Now, the singing won’t happen in this lifetime, but I can definitely up my focus on building strength.
We always find inspiration in places we don’t necessarily expect so be open to it when it appears.
What is your version of not wearing pink? Where’s your opportunity to flex and show up in a new way?
Did You Know… I’ve created Spotify playlists to capture the podcast episodes I share in my weekly newsletter and one with the episodes I’ve had the privilege of recording. Check them out if you’re looking for something to listen to this week.