The Fitting Room Mentality

by Rosa Stancil

WhenI go shopping, I bring as much as I can into the fitting room. I walk into those brightly lit rooms, hands full, smile wide, excited about the possibility of everything in front of me. Eager to try on each and every item, despite not knowing what the outcome will be.

I’ve learned that this “fitting room mentality” is something special.

As a soon-to-be college graduate overwhelmed with lots of different options and possibilities, I realized I did not have the same attitude towards the upcoming years of my life as I do towards trying things on in a fitting room. Although I’m only in the second year of my 20s, I can already feel the societal pressure that seems to accompany this time of our lives.

I’ve noticed that people often treat their 20s as a waiting room rather than a fitting room. Constantly waiting for the right people, the right place, the right routine, the right job, the right time… In just my first two years, I’ve been guilty of this as well.

In a waiting room, we anxiously wait for our names to be called, for our outcome to be revealed, doing nothing productive in the process. We feel like our fate is completely out of our hands and that all there is to do is well, wait. Wait for what we believe to be our ideal outcome.

But in a fitting room, we happily try on this and that, separating the options on the yes, no, and maybe hangers situated opposite of the mirror. That shirt fit perfectly but the color was questionable. Maybe. Those pants were just completely wrong. No. That jacket was perfect. Yes. We leave with the jacket. Happy with our decision.

It was fun trying on everything, even the things we didn’t end up getting. However, after a while, we hate the jacket and we can’t stop thinking about the fit of that shirt. So we go back and exchange the two, just like that. We don’t give ourselves a hard time for making a different decision at first because we know we can just exchange them.

Although the decisions we will have to make in the upcoming years of our lives may not seem this simple, they can be. If only we allow ourselves to think of these years as a fitting room rather than a waiting room.

If we look at this season of our lives as a fitting room, we can open ourselves up to a more forgiving and exhilarating exploration of opportunities that will come with these years. Try different cities, people, routines, and jobs with the same excitement and attitude we take into a fitting room, leaving any waiting room behaviors behind.

Yes. You’ll try on a hideous dress that looked better on the rack, jeans that were almost right, the most perfect vintage leather jacket that you left behind and can’t get over, but you’ll also try on a tee shirt that will be a staple in your wardrobe for years, a purse that you loved but was too pricey, shoes that are supportive and others that aren’t (I’m not just talking about clothes here).

Despite the uncertainty that comes with trying things on, applying this mentality to our lives will enable us to enjoy the unknown of the years to come. Learning, growing, and redefining our ideal outcome as we go.

Try different places, hobbies, relationships, jobs… as much as you can carry into these years. Luckily, there is no item limit to life, no numbered tags here. See for yourself what works and what doesn’t. Maybe you’ll make the wrong choice at first and have to exchange choices later. But that is okay, because life is meant to be a fitting room, not a waiting room.

So, whether you’re graduating college, or another chapter of your life, I encourage you to approach the next one with a fitting room mentality and leave that old stuffy waiting room behind.