Stop self-rejection. Reach your full potential.
“I am not smart enough for this.”
“I don’t have the right or enough experience.”
“I didn’t do it well enough.”
“It will take me too long to learn this skill/I am too old to learn something new.”
“I am not capable or qualified.”
“Many people are much better at this and much more suited for the task.”
Have you ever said one of these or similar sentences to yourself? I definitely have. It is constantly on my mind, especially when it comes to applying for a job. I see all these requirements and the skills listed in the work description, which puts me off from applying because I don’t fulfill every single one of these requirements. The sometimes impossible standards set in those advertisements (e.g., have 5 years of work experience for a job listed as entry-level) make it even more challenging to filter out what is right for you and what isn’t.
What frequently happens is that we diminish our own accomplishments and capabilities. Not just in our work life but also sometimes in our private life. Maybe you always wanted to be part of a local theater company production but thought you could not act or sing well enough. Or you always wanted to try martial arts, but you think you won’t be able to become good at it. We live in such a competitive society that even things that should be simply enjoyed and be our hobbies we turn them into a competition where only the best can participate. But hobbies shouldn’t be perfect.
You would support your friends, encourage them to go for it and reach for the stars, and you probably believe that they can do anything. So, why don’t we put the same trust in ourselves?
Especially in our professional life, this self-rejection we do can hinder our success and prevents us from reaching our full potential. We reject ourselves out of fear of the possibility that the company we apply for will reject us or that the project we are working on doesn’t turn out as well as we hoped.
How will we grow and reach our goals if we don’t give ourselves the chance to win?
Even if something doesn’t work out and we don’t get what we want right away, it will still help us in another way.
Treat yourself the way you would treat others. You would support your friends, encourage them to go for it and reach for the stars, and you probably believe that they can do anything. So, why don’t we put the same trust in ourselves?
We don’t need to be perfect at everything we try, and not everything in life is a competition, neither with others nor with ourselves. Give yourself a chance, and you will be amazed at what you can do.
Rebecca Willems