You CAN do it
At least once every week, my spirits are extinguished as my
children pull note after school note from their bags like a couple of clowns revealing a
cavalcade of obligation-ridden handkerchiefs.
You can set your watch to the purpose of each note being one
of three exciting options:
a) to extort money from me;
b) to alert me to a case of some horrible, contagious childhood affliction like chickenpox or nits doing the
rounds of the school; or even worse …
c) to remind me of a school event
(in all likelihood taking place the next day) that requires me to prepare my
child a costume or something equally as hideously in need of my non-existent
craft skills.
But last week, I received a note that differed from the usual catalogue. This one informed me of the school fete planned for later in the year. It requested parental contribution and was generous enough to list suggested ways of helping that you could choose depending on your forte – everything from working on stalls to sponsoring the event.
It wasn’t until I sent my son off to school the next day
with my signed, no-turning-back agreement to play my part, that I experienced
my first pang of panic. What if I didn’t do a good job or didn’t do the
school’s dedicated P&C justice with the quality of execution of my volunteered
task? The fear of letting down the side stopped me in my tracks.
In a moment of
generosity, in addition to the job of mail box flyer drop I had offered to help
the committee to market and promote the event should they need it.
Can you imagine? What could have possibly possessed me to
think I could be of assistance with MY CORE SKILL SET AND THE MEANS BY WHICH I
HAVE BEEN MAKING MY LIVING FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS???
You can imagine my self-doubt.
Yes, that’s right. Despite having earned my chops putting these talents to task for the world’s
best brands in the world’s most demanding metropolises, I got worried I wouldn’t
be up to par volunteering these skills to help market a local school fete.
Why do we do this to ourselves? Why do we doubt our
abilities and get spooked by an illogical fear of letting others down despite a
track record and all other evidence to the contrary?
Maybe it’s because that’s the mindset that has made us good
at our jobs in the first place?
Whatever the reason, many of us do it and it is a strong
reminder to have faith in our abilities and not be scared to share them in new
and exciting projects.
Last week I told you why you should be blogging. From speaking to many of you I know that one thing that gets in the way of talented professionals and blogs is the
trepidation that they don’t know what to say or how to say it.
But you do. It doesn’t matter if you’re not Wordsworth, the
reason you are successful is because of what you know. You can help others, you
can inform and inspire them. Be confident. Don't be afraid to demonstrate your knowledge. You can do it.
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