Updated version of the post. I seem to have somehow, mangled the old one.
I’ll just blame it on the gremlins in the cloud.
I’ve been “soft” looking for a job, since the end of last year when I learnt the basics of Python.
(Want me to come work with you as a junior developer? Here’s my resume!)
And I’ve had rejection after rejection after rejection.
I apparently am good.
I have skills.
I could be an asset for companies.
But I am not “quite” what folks are looking for, not quite right for them.
I am not quite what it is, folks are looking for, to take chance on.
I am a square peg …
And while I understand this in my head, my heart does not get it at times.
And that’s when Seth, as usual comes to the rescue.
With a word, that I am increasingly using to mentally toughen myself and give me courage.
Yet …
From A Professional Stumbler …
Leo’s working hard to do something he’s never done before. He’s just turned one, and he doesn’t know how to walk (yet).
There are no really useful books or videos on how to walk. It’s something he has to figure out on his own. But instead of waiting on the couch until the day he’s ready to proudly strut across the room, he’s there, on the floor, every day, trying it out.
He’s already discovered a hundred ways that don’t work, and stumbled countless times.
But he persists.
I don’t know about you, but this is precisely the way I learned how to walk as well.
In fact, it’s the way I learned how to do just about everything important. By doing it.
From A Simple Missing Word …
“Yet”.
You can append it after any sentence related to your journey of achievement and contribution.
“I haven’t finished the project”
“I haven’t learned how to juggle”
“I haven’t made the sale”YET.
And along the way, “Yet” turns “can’t” into “haven’t.”
Yet isn’t the result of brazen persistence. It’s what we earn with learning, insight and generosity.
From So Far / Not Yet …
What to do in the face of failure? What happens when you’ve done your best and it still doesn’t get the review, close the sale or win the race?
… The growth mindset, is to realize that while you did your best, it’s not your best forever, it’s just what you’ve done so far. And that while you haven’t created what you set out to create, the key word, the one you have to remind yourself of daily, is yet.
From You Have No Credibility (yet)
Your belief, even your proof, is insufficient for you to get the attention, the trust and the action you seek.
Attention is not yours to take whenever you need it. And trust is not something you can insist on.
The bad news is that you are not entitled to attention and trust. It is not allocated on the basis of some sort of clearly defined scale of worthiness.
The good news is that you can earn it. You can invest in the community, you can patiently lead and contribute and demonstrate that the attention you are asking be spent on you is worthwhile.
So yes, I might not be up to par, might not match up to what they look for, might not be skilled enough … yet.
I’ll get there, soon enough!
And of course, Seth has to read my little blog and riff off my post :P
I kid. He doesn’t even know I exist. But talk about happy serendipity!
You’re not that good, spells my journey up above in beautiful detail.
The first is that when we begin, we’re not that good. This is a fact. The breakthrough for anyone on this journey is adding the word **“yet.” **
It doesn’t pay to pretend that we’ve figured it out before we have. It’s counterproductive to adopt a brittle attitude in the face of criticism. In fact, during this stage, “you’re not that good,” is precisely what we need to hear, because it might be followed with insight on how to get better.
The second is that once we start to build skills and offer something of value, some people are going to persist in believing that we’re not that good. Fine. They’ve told us something about themselves and what they want and need. This is a clue to offer our leadership and contribution to someone else, someone who gets what we’re doing and wants it. The smallest viable audience isn’t a compromise, it’s a path forward. Find the folks who are enrolled and open and eager. Serve them instead.
The danger is that when you hear rejection during this stage, you might come to believe that you’ve accomplished nothing, as opposed to realizing that you might simply be talking to the wrong people.And the third comes full circle. Because it’s possible that in fact, we’re not that good yet, and there aren’t enough people who want what we’ve got. We’re simply not good enough for this part of the market. So we embrace that truth and begin at the beginning. We’re not good enough yet. We haven’t practiced enough, found enough empathy, understood the genre well enough and figured out how to contribute. Yet. At least for this audience.
And then we get better.
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