I’ll admit it. I have a trust problem.
Not because I don’t believe others, but BECAUSE I DON’T BELIEVE IN MYSELF. I have always had very low self-confidence and it made making and keeping friends and relationships very difficult because I didn’t know why anyone would want to spend time with me. Why me??
When it came to my career I was bound and determined to ensure that I wasn’t going to let my self-confidence get in the way of what I am truly capable of.
When someone would approach me with an amazing opportunity, I always wondered if it was a scam or if by chance they reached out to the wrong person. Don’t get me wrong – I am a really freaking hard worker but my self-confidence would get in my head. I AM LITERALLY THE PERSON WHO WILL TALK YOU OUT OF GIVING ME A PROMOTION. “Are you sure I’m ready for this? Are you sure that I can do this?” “I see Bob has been doing some pretty incredible work, he might really enjoy this, and he’s better equipped to handle the challenge”.
WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING? Are you crazy? You’ve been dreaming about this and you are passing up the opportunity because what…you’re scared? You’re not sure of yourself? Oh, Amanda. You sweet, innocent dummy.
It has taken me a long time, a lot of self-empowerment books and ongoing conversations with myself to realize that I can do big things and not just big things but massively huge enormous things if I don’t get in my own way.
When I was younger, I would be offered opportunities and I would turn them down because I didn’t feel ready to take them on. Let me say that again. I didn’t FEEL ready to take them on. Was I qualified – hell yes, but my brain tricked me into believing that I wasn’t capable because getting started felt overwhelming and scary? Looking back, it was among the dumbest things I have ever done. I should have accepted every opportunity.
I have a strategist that I worked with at one of the ad agencies I was at that thought I was a “rockstar” (her words not mine). I admired her. Every bone in my body thought she was the smartest and most intelligent person I had ever known. I soaked up every word she said and tried to get in as many minutes with her as humanly possible. Then she left the company. She had worked remote out of Chicago and I was so upset. I reached out to her and asked if she could give me advice and by the end of our conversation, she was offering to give my name to her new boss who was willing to bring me in for an interview to work on her team. It would have meant moving away from my family, so I mulled it over and turned it down. What could have been the best career move of my entire life. I turned it down because I was afraid to move. I will always regret it.
When my son gets older, I will ensure that he knows that my expectation is that he explores every opportunity presented to him. If he gets a call from the MLB and must move miles away, he better at least give it a shot. If he gets a call from the Columbus Zoo and they want him to do an internship, he better at least give it a shot. Do I want him out of my house? Heck no, I want to smother him but, I don’t ever want him to look back at his life and feel like he lost his shot.
You only get once chance, you only get one life. Chances are, that if you don’t take a chance, you’ll never find out who you were truly meant to be. Trust that this universe will bring you the opportunities you need to get you where you are supposed to go.
If someone brings up an opportunity and it feels right, chances are it probably is. Trust your gut and go for it. I’ll be honest with you. If it’s something new, be prepared to make mistakes – that’s okay! That’s called learning. Embrace it. Embrace every opportunity.
This is my advice to you. Every opportunity comes to you for a reason. If you have time and can dedicate yourself you should give every opportunity a fighting chance.
Enjoy the whole damn journey. Every bit of it.
Minute with Mandy 