In life, it’s easy to slip into comfortable habits and form certain routines that repeat and repeat. This can easily lead to you being pigeonholed as a certain type of person who thinks and does things one way. Or someone who has one particular set of skills that are easy to encapsulate. Is there anything wrong with that necessarily though? Well, I’d argue that yes, there are plenty of things wrong with it.

You’ll be the one who suffers the consequences if you allow yourself to be pigeonholed. And there are many different reasons why this is a bad thing that should be avoided and escaped whenever possible. It’s important to remember that you’re the only person that should be in control of your life and your future. If you let other people take control of that, you’ll have problems later on.

Read on now if you want to find out more about why it’s so bad for you to allow yourself to be painted into a corner and put into one nice, neat little box.

Everyone Has Multiple Talents and Potentials

There is a pervasive myth that says we all have one true path in life and we just need to stick to it. But it’s just not true. There is no one certain path that you need to take in life. We’re all capable of doing and achieving so much. Everyone has a range of talents and potentials that have to be taken into account. This is one for best arguments against being pigeonholed.

It Becomes Easier for People to Dismiss You

When people feel like they’ve got you figured out and understand exactly what you can offer and what you can’t, it becomes so much easier for those people to just dismiss you out of hand. But that’s not fair on you, so why even give other people the chance to sell you short and dismiss you? You can control whether you allow yourself to get pigeonholed, so be sure to kick back against it.

Your Comfort Zone Can Become a Dangerous Place

We’re all guilty of getting trapped in our comfort zones at one time or another. And it’s perfectly understandable why this happens. It can be hard to embrace things that are still new and scary to us. Why leave that comfort zone when you know you’re safe and sound within it. You won’t discover your potential or find your true talents if you stay in your comfort zone for too long.

A Career Switch Might be Daunting, But it Might Also be Right

If your career is not really panning out the way you originally wanted it to. There is nothing at all wrong with making a switch. Many people put this off for a long time because they worry about how difficult it will be. Or whether they’re too old for it. But if your career is no longer satisfying you or giving you what you need, you should make a change. You could go from a car mechanic to someone studying a nursing mba. No change needs to be too drastic if it’s what you need.

Personal Branding Doesn’t Have to Equate to Pigeonholing

These days, we hear a lot about the need to create a personal brand. And that’s something that you should certainly be trying to do, as long as it doesn’t become another way to pigeonhole yourself and shut off other avenues to success for you. Your brand should have depth and clarity without falling into cliches or oversimplification of your situation. If you can get that right, you’ll benefit big time.

Flexibility in Work Can Provide You With Greater Long-Term Job Security

Broadening your horizons and making yourself ready for potential future careers in new areas could turn out to be really positive for you. Flexibility is becoming a more important factors for working people right now, and you have the chance to get ahead of the curve. As jobs become less secure because of things like automation, people who are flexible will experience fewer problems in this department.

You’re Capable of Doing More Than You Give Yourself Credit For

So many people are blind to their own skills and qualities, so you need to focus more on what you’re good at and what you’re capable of. There’s nothing wrong with giving yourself credit for the things you’re good at. It’s something that will help you avoid being put into a box by those around you. Show people exactly what you’ve got. They’ll soon realize that you’ve got more to offer than they previously thought.

You’ll Become Close-Minded

Once you start doing what’s expected of you and accepting your pre-defined role in your family or your workplace, it’s very easy to stop thinking about new ideas. You will become closed off to the alternatives that are out there waiting for you, and that’s a real shame. It’s about getting too comfortable in your role. Also not looking to the new ideas and career or life options that are out there. Don’t let yourself fall into this old trap.

We All Need a Challenge in Life

Everyone needs to be challenged in life. That’s just the nature of the beast. If you’re not being challenged on a day to day basis, life will quickly become very boring indeed for you, and that’s obviously not what you want. So when you’re starting to feel like you’re getting pigeonholed, you should step out and find a new challenge that you can take on. Doing so will help you break free and find the challenge you need in life.

Whether it’s your career or another area of your life, there’s nothing to be gained from allowing yourself to become pigeonholed, be it by yourself or someone else. It’s up to you to take control of your own destiny and show the world just how much you have to offer without being put into this box or that.

 

Until next time,