Throw out those old clunkers and step into the next size up

Fashionable footwear may look stylish, but it has potentially harmful consequences.

Podiatrists warn patients that wearing tight shoes can lead to a variety of foot conditions, including ingrown toenails, calluses, bunions, skin irritation and even long term nerve damage.

Meanwhile, leading research from the journal of foot and ankle studies shows that a surprisingly high percentage of the population still report footwear related foot pain. Their labs reported that a shocking two thirds of people wear shoes that are too narrow for their feet.

Now, if you’re one of those people, don’t worry. There are no shortages of hacks and home remedies for solving this problem. If your shoes are too tight, but you still want to keep them in your wardrobe rotation, you can try one of the following techniques:

Stretch them with a blowdryer, put the shoes in the freezer for a few hours, buy a wooden shoe stretcher, spray your shoes with leather shaping solution, tape two of your toes together while wearing them, insert a peeled potato and stuff it inside your shoes overnight, elevate your toes in the evening, put on thick socks and blow dry the tight areas on medium heat for thirty seconds, or my own personal favorite, smear the entire surface of your foot with dry stick underarm deodorant.

Problem solved, right?

Not exactly.

This scenario is a classic example of treating the symptom, not the problem. Because there is a simpler, more sustainable, less expensive, and less labor intensive solution.

Get a bigger shoe size.

Matter of fact, that’s good advice not only for the good of fashion, but for the goal of career fulfillment.

Imagine how many people are figuratively walking in shoes that are too small for them. Think how many creative professionals in their careers are making one lateral move after another, acquiescing to the tight squeeze of the middle market, without really growing their work, strengthening their brand or deepening their value.

It’s probably more than two thirds.

Personally, this stuck point has happened to me on multiple occasions in my professional life. I walked in shoes too small for me for years. Not only during my time as an entrepreneur, but also also an employee.

And what’s insidious about this path of scarcity is, you don’t realize you’re walking it. Playing small is a covert operation. It’s invisible. Until one day you wake up and look down to see your two swollen feet. And you exhale what’s called a disgust of wind.

It’s that little moment of positive tension that has the power to change everything. Disgust does that to people. It’s one of the few human emotions in life that actually makes you say, okay, I’m ready, it’s time to change.

If you’re guilty of wearing shoes too small for your feet, consider this an invitation to play bigger than you otherwise might.

Listen, you have reached a point in your career where you must find a new form of power. It’s the fallacy of playing small and evaluating your creative work too narrowly isn’t helping you anymore. It may even be hurting you. And not just your feet, either.

One of the reasons we as artists fail to achieve our dreams is because they’re too small. We haven’t woken up to a bigger context about our future, and so, we leave a lot of happiness on the table.

Don’t let it happen to you. Fashion isn’t that important. Don’t become so focused on your small plan that you forget there might be a bigger one you don’t know about.

Throw out those old clunkers and step into the next size up. Hell, go a few sizes up.

Why not take the risk? You’re already feeling disgusted with yourself. You have so little to lose.

Once you recognize your chosen way of surviving has become a trap with diminishing rewards, what’s next?