When I was young I felt quite incompetent most of the time. As I got better at anything I was able to apply confidence to more and more things. When I jumped in, head first, to door-to-door sales during a college summer I found it was not about being competent but in believing in oneself. Now in my golden years I believe in Richard Branson's quote "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes - then learn how to do it later!" I love this philosophy.
This article is proving to be extremely helpful to me today. There is a problematic behavior that, in spite of my best intentions, I continue to fall prey to. Reading this article moved me from a dark sense of discouraged frustration to the happy curiosity of a problem-solver. “Oh, goodie,” I thought, “I can apply the problem-solving mindset here. Yes, I’m VERY eager to solve this problem. And, phew, I can grant myself permission to hang out in the not-knowing space while I find a real solution. In fact, it’s advisable to do so.” I’m in a much better space and am looking forward to diving in! 😊
I have a lot of trouble feeling incompetent. And I often marvel at people who are good at it. Like people who are good at asking for directions. I think there's a male element to this too, You can't ever show a weakness. This has got to have big implications inside corporations where type A people who always project confidence always seem to win the day.
Remember how we sucked when first attempting to ride a bike? If we’re immediately good at something new, it ain’t that new. Embrace sucking in the service of deeper learning. The Suck-To-Success Cycle is what brings the juice to life!
When I was young I felt quite incompetent most of the time. As I got better at anything I was able to apply confidence to more and more things. When I jumped in, head first, to door-to-door sales during a college summer I found it was not about being competent but in believing in oneself. Now in my golden years I believe in Richard Branson's quote "If somebody offers you an amazing opportunity but you are not sure you can do it, say yes - then learn how to do it later!" I love this philosophy.
This article is proving to be extremely helpful to me today. There is a problematic behavior that, in spite of my best intentions, I continue to fall prey to. Reading this article moved me from a dark sense of discouraged frustration to the happy curiosity of a problem-solver. “Oh, goodie,” I thought, “I can apply the problem-solving mindset here. Yes, I’m VERY eager to solve this problem. And, phew, I can grant myself permission to hang out in the not-knowing space while I find a real solution. In fact, it’s advisable to do so.” I’m in a much better space and am looking forward to diving in! 😊
I loved the Isaacson bio. This is a very useful observation to help writers combat imposter syndrome.
I have a lot of trouble feeling incompetent. And I often marvel at people who are good at it. Like people who are good at asking for directions. I think there's a male element to this too, You can't ever show a weakness. This has got to have big implications inside corporations where type A people who always project confidence always seem to win the day.
Remember how we sucked when first attempting to ride a bike? If we’re immediately good at something new, it ain’t that new. Embrace sucking in the service of deeper learning. The Suck-To-Success Cycle is what brings the juice to life!
Thank you! This is quite valuable.