Episode 78: When You're on the Inside Looking Out
Jordan Gross was one of those kids in school who always seemed to have it together. He was an athlete, an academic achiever, played an instrument, and was a boy people wanted to be around. He had plenty of friends, and though he knew he was fortunate in his upbringing and genetics, he always had a feeling there was something else that he was missing.
Stories That Remind Us It's All About Perspective
Jordan Gross was one of those kids in school who always seemed to have it together. He was an athlete, an academic achiever, played an instrument, and was a boy people wanted to be around. He had plenty of friends, and though he knew he was fortunate in his upbringing and genetics, he always had a feeling there was something else that he was missing.
He stayed the course in terms of what was expected of him as he finished high school and moved through college. He even got a great corporate job right our of college and was doing exactly what his family and friends saw for his future. And then he woke up. At 24, he realized he wasn’t living his life - he was living someone’s expectations of his life.
Our conversation reminded me of an earlier episode with Christine Homolko, from the opposite perspective. Christine thought she never really fit in, was always an outsider, and Jordan always fit in, but felt like an outsider. There’s a reality here many of us seem to forget, and it’s not just that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence. The reality is that none of us really “fit in”, we all have our internal stories limiting and motivating us, and we are all on our own journey. The only difference, really, is the company we keep along that journey.
Connect with Jordan on LinkedIn, follow him on Twitter, visit his website, and take a look at his book, Getting Comfy.
Episode 75: Does Anyone Really "Fit in"? How Stories Help You Find Your Community
Born in France to an American father and a German mother, Christine Homolko spent most of her childhood being shy and introverted. When her father decided to move back to the United States, she and her sister chose to move with him to a town just outside of Boston. She started her senior year of high school in a completely new environment, and realized she had an opportunity to reinvent herself in a place where no-one knew her or her history.
Fitting In Is Not the Same as Feeling Connected
Born in France to an American father and a German mother, Christine Homolko spent most of her childhood being shy and introverted. When her father decided to move back to the United States, she and her sister chose to move with him to a town just outside of Boston. She started her senior year of high school in a completely new environment, and realized she had an opportunity to reinvent herself in a place where no-one knew her or her history.
She decided that what she wanted was to step up and step out, and be a person who was brave and curious. She took that opportunity seriously, and pushed herself out of her shell.
It’s not surprising that she never felt like she really “fit in,” especially because most of the students in her class had grown up together from early childhood, kindergarten, 1st grade, etc.
That feeling of not fitting in continues to stick with her; she’s finding ways to create a community where she may not “fit in,” but she certainly finds belonging and support.
Sarah’s crest, created by Christine Homolko
Christine is an organizer by nature, and she’s using her skills in her current job and finding great success leading a communications team at the University of Luxembourg’s Centre for Security, Reliability and Trust. Her passion is art, and her illustrations are perfect demonstrations of the combination of her business experience and her love for drawing and sharing complex concepts through her art. She absolutely finds herself in flow when she’s creating art; she also finds a real sense of purpose when she helps other people break out of their shell through her coaching, whether they’re stuck in a career they don’t like or need help overcoming life’s challenges.
Connect with Christine on LinkedIn to learn more about her talents and to follow her work, and visit her website to learn more about her extraordinary talents.
During our conversation, I mentioned a TedX that had great impact on me. Here’s the video: