Never Buy Shoes One Size Too Small
Tags: Authenticity, Life Lessons, Truth

Advice from Jose from TheNowCo

Never buy shoes one size too small. No matter how dope they may be. I'm sure there is a deeper message that we will arrive at but until then, this is about shoes. Last fall I purchased a pair of Diesel Zip-Around sneakers in a suede nubuck, reminiscent of a Timberland boot. The sole and laces are the same color finish, and it has a thick silver zipper running from the top ankle area, under the heel, and back up to the other side of the ankle. Upon seeing the shoe most people ask if the heel area is detachable.

So back to the purchase, I was going back and forth between a size 11 and 12. Ideally I wear an 11.5–12 (depending on the shoe)but since Diesel goes by European sizes, 11.5 is non-existent. I thought I might entertain a size 11 because the larger size was that, larger.

My “big feet” insecurities kicked in. Physically I was staring into the floor to ceiling sized mirror and focusing on the “dramatic” difference between the two sizes. And psychologically my mind toiled at the emotional strings set forth through the harmless comments made about having big ass feet throughout my life. I can’t say I’ve taken those remarks in a negative context but for sure they’ve been internalized. Internalized to the point where a time or two I’ve purchased shoes that were a size too small.

Photo by Christian Chen on Unsplash

And I guess we’ve reached the point of all this. Too often we internalize things. As humans we have biological mechanisms that record and observe EVERYTHING in our physical realities through our five senses. To add on top of that we then take that gathered information and label it with emotions that depend on our overall attitude and view of how we presently feel about our lives and “the world”. This is one main reason why so many dreams never take off. Not because we’ve been told directly that our pursuit would be futile but because we often use our selective hearing and catch on to people expressing how dumb it would be for someone to pursue the dream you’re after, how anyone with a similar idea to yours is stupid for even conjuring up that idea, and so on.

What sucks is that most of what we internalize has never truly been directed at us, we just pay closer attention to the ridicule surrounding the subject of our interests. A main purpose of being social creatures is to not do the things which will outcast us from the group (society). We rely too heavily on the opinions of the tribe that we tend to lose ourselves. The crazy/ironic thing is that all the “successful” positions we go after are due to the influence of the tribe. Fear of judgement forces us to set aside our desires of wanting to become journalists, news anchors, radio hosts, and all the rest of the careers people claim to be moronic to chase. This indirect criticism is so much we even steer away from simply researching what it would take to make it a reality. We reach a point in adulthood where our deepest desires are only reserved to be shared with ourselves and a select few. This fear has to let loose.

At some point we can’t continue to buy shoes that are a size too small. If we do our lives will be nothing but pain and discomfort with an endless search for distractions to keep our attention away from the pain. Living a life where we’re always looking for an escape will leave little room for joy and fulfillment, and instead attract a lot of regret. So rock the shoes that make it look like you have clown feet, you never know where living in your truth may take you (definitely further than a few blocks because your feet won’t hurt).

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