In Case You Felt Out of Place in 2024, Own 2025

Image sourced from Emmanuel Adams on X.

2024 was The Year of Flight for many. Maybe you started a new job or moved to a new home or different community. Or maybe you found yourself in a completely different state wondering, “Where do I fit in?” You fit in everywhere you go, and mastering your environments is dependent upon your knowing and acting on that. Before you get to 2025, consider addressing any feelings of being out of place where you are.

Finding Your Tribe

That four-and-a-half-hour meeting bored your eyeballs out of your skull, and one of your coworkers felt the same way. And not too many people have a soft spot for the jerk who leaves a puddle of sweat on the bench at the gym. Somebody relates to that quiet little thought in your head, and you should know that person.

You probably think trying to fit in is overrated… There’s someone somewhere who feels exactly the same.

In your apartment complex, at work, in the local corner store, there’s somebody who relates to your thoughts, feelings and emotions. They too sigh when stuck behind a slow-walking person in a tight aisle at Walmart. Wouldn’t you like to be standing beside that person when it inevitably happens during your next grocery store run?

You probably think trying to fit in is overrated, and guess what? There’s someone somewhere who feels exactly the same. I’m one of those people. As a person who thinks trying fitting in is overrated, coming together with likeminded people has always been refreshing for me. Your circle can be as big or as small as you’d like.

Here, the word “tribe” loosely means those who understand, relate to and accept you…

Here, the word “tribe” loosely means those who understand, relate to and accept you, and there is no required number. Some people thrive in crowded rooms, elbow-to-sweaty-elbow. Others prefer a cozier crowd of maybe one or two additional people at most. The choice is yours.

You Own Every Space You Enter

Wherever you go, knowing that everything is as it should be, you’re exactly where you’re supposed to be. You should be confident enough to remind yourself, “I belong here.” You can only believe this if you have the confidence to know it’s true.

… if you are at that table, no matter who else is there, you are supposed to be there.

If you sit at a dinner table across from Jeff Bezos, your hands might shake a little when you drink water. You might eat less to make less of a show. You do this because you’re intimidated. Here you are worth roughly whatever your mortgage is sitting across from a guy who probably bathes in gold coins. But if you are at that table, no matter who else is there, you are supposed to be there.

Ask yourself, Do you feel comfortable in new spaces? What parts of being in new spaces make you comfortable? What parts make you uncomfortable? What can you do on your end to change this? What makes you feel confident around others?

You don’t have to be in every space you’re invited to.

Use the above questions to explore your inhibitions and change what you think should be changed, but do not make decisions for others. You don’t have to be in every space you’re invited to, and you probably shouldn’t. This article focuses on spaces or situations in which you want or need to be. For the ones you don’t, feel comfortable and confident not being in those spaces or situations. Challenging your own inhibitions makes you more perceptive, while giving you the ability to control yourself within any space.

The Takeaway

2024 was the year of flight for people changing careers, homes and home states. With these changes came new spaces with new people and maybe a feeling of displacement. Everything is as it should be, and you’re exactly where you should be. Own every space you’re in because you do, as much as the person sitting across from you. Work on building the confidence to assert yourself in any situation. You have a right to refuse to be anywhere you don’t want to be. For the places you do want to be, they’re yours to own.

Happy New Year 2025. I wish you and your loved ones emotional and financial prosperity.

This article was written by Jermaine Reed, MFA, the Editor-in-Chief of The Reeders Block, who also works an Adjunct College Professor. Join the email list to get notifications on new articles and books. This article is 100% human-written. And remember, if you see an error, that’s what makes us human. Subscribe and share.