Torn Between Two Worlds

by Paula Minnesota November 03, 2020 0 Comments

The Pressure Cooker

This year has included a set of challenges ranging from a worldwide pandemic, emotionally charged political elections, racial injustice and widespread social unrest. Now stir in the pressure to provide your thoughtful, educated opinions on these (and other) issues; while balancing your everyday challenges of work, life and social commitments.  How will your opinion be received? Will you be pressured to think the way others do? Conforming may feel like the only way to survive in today’s pressure cooker environment.

Don’t Be a Robot

As children we are conditioned to do as we are told. We were rewarded when we did what we were told to do and punished when we didn't. This leads to a robot mindset. How much of your life is based on doing what you are told to do? A robot mindset:

• does what is asked of them
• will not understand why they do what they do
• says yes
• repeats actions over and over again until told to stop

Don’t be a robot.

Be You

I have always felt the pressure to fit in; feeling a gap between who I thought I wanted to be compared to what the world thought I should be. I was a people pleaser. Without realizing, I would change my opinions in order to fit in and be accepted. It was exhausting.

I found myself creating different personas to try to fit into my different worlds; a corporate persona that was refined and professional and a wild child social persona. I knew the true me was somewhere in the middle. I just needed to find it. I was truly torn between two worlds.

To find the “true me” and break the robot mindset I began with:

• Organizing and prioritizing my time based on what’s important to me
• Stop saying yes to everything I’m being asked to do (respectfully of course)
• Employ a questioning mentality
• Be vulnerable
• Learn from past mistakes
• Be open to change
• Embrace imperfection
• Stop judging

R3BEL

So, what does any of this have to do with an apparel and gear company?

It is a lot harder than it may seem to ‘Be You’ all the time. I would find myself slipping back in old habits. I needed to remind myself to stay on track and ‘be me’. This is where the idea for creating a unique apparel brand that would encourage others to embrace their true, authentic selves on a daily basis came into being.

And a R3BEL (rebel) was born!

Gone were the days of conforming to fit any image other than the one you define for yourself. R3BEL is about embracing and celebrating individuality and removing any stigma associated with not falling in line with what is socially acceptable. R3BEL Apparel and Gear is about giving our customers a voice in expressing themselves. Each are leaders in their own unique way; using their own voice. It is what makes them unique.