Don’t Fear Your Inner Pink Sheep

I see it come up in so many situations. When the kids go back to school, in social circles and even the workplace. The various and ever-changing world of sheep. Now I’m not saying all people are sheep, the wolf and sheep discussion is a whole other topic for a whole other day. What I’m talking about is the different herds of “sheep” and how we associate with them.

First of all, there is your run-of-the-mill, every day, white sheep. The white sheep is a go-with-the-flow type, doesn’t want to shake the boat, follows the rules and doesn’t question the status quo. Most of us are all white sheep at certain times in our lives, or in particular situations where it is most beneficial to our survival, whether that survival be our desire to belong or even retaining our jobs.

Then we have the infamous black sheep. The black sheep doesn’t fit in, they are just not like the rest. The reasons for them being a black sheep vary, some choose this role and some are placed in this role by others, for a plethora of reasons. While being the black sheep is typically viewed as a negative, we need the black sheep. Think of Eeyore or the Grumpy Bear Care Bear. The black sheep can give us a perspective that we may not think about. While the black sheep doesn’t always fit in, they are not fully outcasted, as we see with our aforementioned animated friends.

But, what I really want to talk about, is the pink sheep. “What” you may ask, “is a pink sheep?” The pink sheep is the disrupter, the one throwing things off balance. They aren’t the sheep to follow the crowd, but they aren’t the polar opposite either. The pink sheep doesn’t really fit in anywhere. They do not go-with-flow but they also do not stand against the flow, they are where we find innovation, creativity and new ideas. The pink sheep does not follow nor break the rules, instead, they make their own.

We rotate roles throughout our journey on this pale blue marble. I know I have. When I was young, I was a regular white sheep until I hit middle school. A hard time for anyone, but I didn’t really seem to fit in anywhere, and I felt like I was alone, a single black sheep looking for any place that would accept me. In this role I grew and shed my dark fur and discovered, I didn’t have to be a white sheep or a black sheep, I was free to make my own path. I evolved into the pink sheep as part of my own personal teenage rebellion. And while I was not rebelling against my mother or the authority figures at school (except on Halloween when I would wear my devil horn headband and get yelled at during passing hours), I was tired of being put into a box, I was not a white sheep and I was not a black sheep, I was different, I did not want to be those other sheep.

Being the pink sheep was tiring, constantly defending my choices, criticized for being so extremely off-the-charts, bullied and at times felt completely misjudged. Because of these challenges, in college, I found myself becoming more of a white sheep again. While I had some hints of pink, I was more of who I was “expected to be” by society, and I found it equally exhausting to not be the person I wanted to be.

I think it is important to note, that our surroundings can often dictate which sheep we show to the world. Regardless of which colored “herd”, I associated with, I always had a close circle of friends and family who accepted me, white, black or pink. We didn’t have to be the same color to be friends, or to understand each other. Again, this is another discussion, but if the people around you cannot accept the color sheep you gravitate to, you do not need them in your life. I tend to stray away from the conformity of a white sheep, but I’ll be damned if I judge someone I care about for being a go-with-the-flow, fluffy white sheep.

Today, I (like I most of you) am all three sheep, morphing between the personas depending on my particular situation. When I need to go-with-the-flow and follow the rules, I am the white sheep. When I don’t agree with the status quo and am perhaps a little more negative and not bringing new ideas to the table, I am the black sheep, but when I am most powerful and have the greatest impact is when I chose to unleash the pink sheep. This is my moment to shine.

Being the pink sheep can be tolling, but as with great power comes great responsibility, being the pink sheep comes with tremendous accountability. You must be unapologetically you and stand by what you believe. Others will fear, and in return often dislike you. Others will view you as a threat. Others may judge you for being different. They will be scared by your courage and may try to tear you down. They will call you weird, odd or abnormal, but I ask you, where would the world be if Walt Disney or Albert Einstein chose to be a white sheep?

When you are the pink sheep, you do whatever you want, you need to be aware of the consequences, but know your facts and stand your ground. This is where innovation grows. It will be challenging, you will have times you want to quit and become a white sheep because it is easier, but you will never grow, and neither will your ideas. You will have times where you find you don’t fit in anywhere, but as the great Dr. Seuss once said, “Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” Regret lives within the white and black sheep and tomorrow is never promised.

Do not fear your internal pink sheep, embrace it.