Labels

Step out of your box

Ever heard someone say, "I can't help it, that's just the way I am"? Or something like, "I will never be good at this so I don't need to try"? Statements like those annoy me. A lot. They put people in a box and say that they will never move outside of it. We put labels on ourselves and on others that prevent growth and success. That always frustrates me. It's like creating a box and then deciding to never leave it, even if it's not a good thing to stay in it. The problem is that we hide behind labels, we use them as excuses to not do things.

We label ourselves as introvert or extrovert, intelligent or unintelligent, loud or quiet, and then we stay like that. Last week, I talked about personality types a little, and I think that's one way that we label people. Now, I don't think it's a bad thing to know your personality, I think it's a bad thing to use that as an excuse for something. If I see someone standing alone in a corner I can't just say, "I'm an introvert I don't need to go talk." That would be like seeing someone's house on fire and deciding that since I'm not a fireman I can't help at all. As an introvert, I should still be kind to other people even if that means that in need to go outside my box. We should use labels, like personality types, to help us know how to improve rather than being happy with our weakness's. Extroverts do this too, I've heard people say they can't help but be loud and shout when they should be quiet, simply because that's the way they are. And sure, not everybody does this, but I've found that way too many people do. It's hard not to. Making excuses comes natural to us and labels are our best excuse. But we don't just leave it at that. We don't stop with labelling ourselves, we label others.

When someone walks into a room, you have judged them almost immediately in some way and put a label on them. Business Insider reports that first impressions are made within seven seconds. We label people naturally, and the problem with that is we act based on those labels way too often. If we see an introvert we think they're happy to be left alone, when in reality, everyone wants friends. We look at an extrovert and think they have plenty of friends and wouldn't be interested in getting to know us. Seeing someone younger than us, we think they aren't "on our level" and so we avoid them. We see an adult and decide not to speak to them because we think we are beneath them. We tend to think that anyone really smart or a super good debater can't be nice, so we avoid getting to know them. And I don't think everyone does this, but I do think it all happens way too often. The problem mainly lies not just with labels, but with how we act due to the labels we put on others. We stick to our first impressions of people and never give them a second chance. 

So I ask that you use labels to show you where you need to improve, not as a shield to hide you from certain interactions. Do what you can to break out of any stereotype and conquer any labels that are put on you or that you put on others. Personality types are great for finding out about who we are, but all too frequently we let them put us in a box and we never try to change it. In fact, we use it as an excuse. Let's change that. 

Let us all become the person we should be, not the person we are labelled as. 

Introverts should step out of their box and introduce themselves to people. Extroverts should be more quiet and sensitive around people. When someone new walks in the room and you get your impression of them, give them a chance to change it. This takes courage. We become comfortable with who we are, change is hard. Stepping outside our box is risky. But we must have the courage to break out of the labels placed on us, and the courage to get to know people despite whatever label you've placed on them. With courage comes change. 

Being just the way we are is great, and we are unconditionally loved as ourselves, and yet, life is about direction not perfection. We are to become more like Christ every day. And labels can help us, as long as we are focused on stepping outside of them, on becoming better then we were yesterday. 

Don't make excuses. Have courage. Step outside the box.