I made my way through high school and college...still no experience. I stumbled in to the world of work and tried to find my way. I didn't have any experience at that point either. So I jumped in to graduate school...clinging to a little tiny speck of real life.
Confidence
I did have one important thing...lots of confidence. It's not that I wasn't intimidated by those around me with years and years of experience. They offered perspectives on issues that I didn't even realize existed.
But I listened...and learned...and wanted more.
So, I figured that if it was going to take me a lifetime of learning to become an "expert" I might as well dive in and try my best right out of the gate. So I did. I tried new things. I took risks. I used tools that other people thought were a waste of time in meetings (remember when PowerPoint was new and cool?)
My confidence never wavered, even if the those around me thought I was wasting my time.
Opportunity
One of the unexpected outcomes of being both confident and willing to take risks is that good things happen. For me those good things meant new jobs with expanded responsibilities.
Even when I took a risk on an operations role that was eliminated a year later, I knew I had made the right decision to go for it. How many HR leaders have actually spent any time in an operations role?
I've continued to take risks...BIG ones! But each was worth it. Even when others simply didn't see the value because they had not allowed themselves to open their minds to the modern world of work.
It's okay. We all get there eventually...maybe I'm cursed being on a different schedule than others.
How About You
Do you have the potent combination of confidence and risk inside of you? I think so. It creates opportunities for those of us willing to see them. It opens doors that a few years ago we might not even have seen right in front of us. It can make all the difference.
I'm no expert...but I do know that life is too short to hold back. Take a closer look at your world...and go for it.
I'd love to hear from you.
No Excuses.
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Really like this post Jay. I think taking risks in your career, thinking and life are what give you confidence. Without it you become stagnant. Often others judge us by the risk we take and call us foolish. I say, where there is risk there is reward...even if the reward takes longer to be realized, it always comes.
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