I’ve never been much of a conformist. I’ve always had interests, preferences, and ideas that were a little offbeat than my childhood friends.

As a kid growing up on the east side of Cleveland in the 70s and 80s, I watched foreign movies, rode a unicycle, went to boarding school in Connecticut, had a fascination with National Geographic, and read my share of fantasy/sci-fi books.

Many of my peers called me different, but I didn’t care. I was just being Zoe and at 50, I’m cool with being Zoe more than ever.

You see, the older I get, the more I appreciate the idiom “March to the beat of your own drum.” 

It means more to me now than it did to young Zoe.

Now, it’s important to march to my own beat for freedom’s sake.

Because when I do, I’m free to be me without any apology and I’m free from the weight of comparing my life to someone else’s. And when I march on, I can also freely

• Make meaning of the world as I encounter it
• Initiate soulful engagements
• Share my dose of ideaspiration with others

Being silly one day recently, I came up with another version of the idiom that fits me to a tee.

I call it “March the beat of your own flip flops.”

No matter what you call it, there are benefits to marching to your inherent beat. Rooted in the concept of self, knowing your rhythm provides an impetus for you to make your ideas blossom. Let me share with you three reasons why.

#1 Self-Awareness: When you listen to your beat, you’ll gain a keen sense of who you are.

Knowing yourself is a strength. Without it, how can you control your emotions, set a good intention, make improvements, or upgrade your thinking?

Remember a big part of making your ideas blossom involves committing to do the inner work no matter what is. As you execute your ideas, you’ll begin to learn so much about yourself – what it means to be in your element, how to overcome internal obstacles, and how to take responsibility for your shadow self.

Self-awareness is a step toward self-motivation and understanding what drives you to achieve or pursue what you desire in life. You’ll also know the “why” behind your ideas too. 

If you desire to become more self-aware, practice mindfulness or yoga. Monitor the range of your emotions and behaviors. Keep a journal.

Bonus Insight about Self-Awareness: GG Renee shares a technique for becoming more self-aware in How I Found Her. Pam Turos tells us “Anxiety doesn’t come from doing things that naturally relax and fulfill us—it comes from forgetting who we are inside, and not listening to the quiet inner voice that already knows what we need’” in The Most Important List You Haven’t Written Yet. 

#2 Self-Acceptance: When you feel the cadence of your beat, you’ll learn to embrace and accept all the many layers of you.

Accepting yourself is a way to practice self-love. Without it, how can you recognize your worth, value your gifts, or stop beating yourself up?

Girl, fight to appreciate who you are, and how you’re wired regardless of your quirkiness and imperfections because if you don’t, there’s a likelihood of disempowerment. And when you’re disempowered, you won’t have the wherewithal or courage to make your ideas blossom.

Self-acceptance tempered with appreciation is also a way to practice gratitude, which can help you and your ideas blossom too.  

If you desire to become more self-accepting, stop saying put-down phrases. Learn to live with your good, bad and ugly. Make peace with yourself.

Bonus Insight about Self-Acceptance: “What if the first step to being seen is seeing ourselves?”, Nilofer Merchant tells us in The Power of Being Scene Starts Here, With You. Krista O’Reilly-Davi-Digui asks more “what if” questions to embrace her truth in What if All I Want is a Mediocre Life? 

#3 Self Confidence: When you’re in sync with your beat, you aren’t afraid to own your space.

Self-confidence is a tool of success. Without it, how can you be bold enough to do something you’ve never done before, brave enough to stand up for yourself, or spicy enough to wear that bright red lipstick?

A self-confident person does not have an inflated sense of self-importance nor are they arrogant. True confidence comes from having competence complimented by character. And when you’re making your ideas blossom, you need both to keep the critics and unfortunate circumstances from dulling your shine.

Confidence also comes from energy when you’re contributing your goodness to the planet. Think about. When you’ve lacked self-confidence, were you focused on yourself rather than how your words, ideas, or actions affected others?

If you desire to become self-confident, practice your craft relentlessly. Consider your impact on others. Straighten your back, and breathe deeply. You got this.

Bonus Insight about Self-Confidence: Shibani Faehnle, of Bombay Taxi, tells a story about what she did to regain her confidence after an encounter with a critic in Doubt.

I sense a deeper message to marching to the beat of your own flip flops. As much as it’s a responsibility to ourselves (self-awareness, acceptance, and confidence), it’s really a responsibility to one another. We are not living on this planet solo, but only when we know, accept, and love ourselves can we do the same for others. Gone girl, march on.

What other benefits come from marching to the beat of your flip-flops? Let us know in the comments below, share in the Facebook group, or email me.

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