The benefits of not fitting into societal norms

What are the benefits of not fitting into society, or generally not fitting in, including your personal life and in business? What is your focus, trying to fit in with everybody else, or do you prefer to embrace your individuality?

The Majority

Most people are just trying to fit in, and they worry greatly about how they are perceived by others. Their goal is to fit into society, largely influencing how they dress, what car they drive, what they say, how they act and generally what motivates them. These people make up the majority of the population, and they are very important to a stable society. These people are more likely to be extroverts, because they have an outward focus.

The Minority

Then we have those that like to do things a little bit different. These people value their independence, uniqueness, creativity and expression above the need to fit in. Because they don’t focus on fitting in with the norm, they often tend to do things differently. Again, this can be seen in how they dress, how they talk, the language that they use and how they act. These people are a minority in society. However, they also make up an important part of it. These people are mostly high introverts.

Benefits of fitting in

The benefits of fitting into society are obvious, and the people that focus on fitting in gain greatly from it. These people generally make friends easier, don’t get judged for being different, and their lives generally run smoothly as they seek to be normal like everybody else.

Benefits of not fitting in

Unconventional and unique thinking/ideas – unconventional thinking usually leads to more innovation and out of the box thinking. You maybe able to find success from unconventional ideas that others wouldn’t even seriously consider.

More freedom and flexibility – if you don’t fit in you are not restricted by social groups and group thinking, you can go anywhere, do anything, and speak and think more freely. You will also adapt better to change.

You can really discover who you are – without all the noise of what others think and social pressures, you will have the time to find yourself. You don’t have to spend time trying to please others, you can focus more on what you want, and being the person that you always wanted to be.

You will become stronger for it – it can be very hard to not fit in, even painful. If you can stay strong, and don’t let it make you bitter, your adversity can make you stronger and wiser than all of those people that focus so hard on trying to fit in.

In business and work

One of the biggest down sides to everybody just trying to fit in, is a lack of innovation. When everybody is so focused on just fitting in they close their minds to, and can even become hostile to change. However, change, and being able to adapt is sometimes necessary to succeed or to survive.

In business, this need for social stability and fitting in is often the reason why some people get jobs or positions, simply because they have good connections within a business. Despite perhaps that person not being the best or most qualified for that position or job. When you don’t have the best people doing the job, problems may arise when times are tough in business. Businesses may fail if the best people are not doing the right jobs.

Sometimes the best person to turn something around is an outsider and an innovator. Somebody who can mix things up and introduce new ideas and ways of thinking, someone who is not so focused on simply fitting in.

Those that don’t try as hard to fit in, the minorities can sometimes seem problematic to society. Not focusing on fitting in can lead to problems when it comes to getting on with people, which can naturally lead to conflicts. Issues with people in the work place will be more likely. Different behaviors are often prone to being judged by others. Being different is often feared by a group which can lead to individuals being alienated, and even being outcast from that group.

Many of the best inventors and scientists have been people that are a little different. Innovators tend to be original thinkers that are not so concerned with fitting in with the social norms.

So if you know somebody that is a bit different, give them the benefit of the doubt. Them and others like them have contributed massively to society and have probably benefited your life/business in someway or another.