Tuesday morning started out like any other: a quick stop at the co-op for gingerade kombucha and coconut macaroons en route to work.
Not long after arriving, the day’s first meeting notice popped up.
Leadership workshop.
Ugh.
At 9a, standing at my desk, catching up on email and the morning news while drinking a cup of green tea sounded much more appealing.
But, I decided to go anyway – to be perfectly honest, only because it meant I didn’t have to stare at a computer screen for 90 minutes.
Turns out, it was the best 90 minutes of the week.
The speaker, an executive where I work, peppered her talk with relate-able life stories from her childhood, college years and career. While each one had a lesson, including find a mentor who has different perspectives than you – growth! – and do what you love – obviously – one really hit home:
Never undervalue your contribution.
Each time she said it, it became clearer and clearer that I do this all.the.time. I often think my ideas aren’t as clever as someone else’s ideas. And, I often keep my mouth shut because I’m afraid I’ll sound stupid.
Well, you know what?
My ideas often are as clever. And, nine times out of 10, someone says exactly what I was thinking would sound stupid if I said it aloud.
Everyone – including me and including YOU – has something valuable to contribute to the world, whether it’s leading a publicly traded company, washing skyscraper windows or writing in your little corner of the blog-o-sphere.
Whatever you do, own it, be it, breathe it.
Never undervalue your contribution.
Take command of your life – demand what you want, pursue what you want, SPEAK UP! – or life will just happen, and in a blink, it will have turned out far different than you ever imagined.
11 Comments
So true. We recently had a retreat for work and did a “communication style” exercise and part of my style means I need to speak up more and listen less. I’m working on not undervaluing my contribution. 🙂
Good! Because you have lots of valuable things to say 🙂
Your communication style sounds exactly like mine… I listen too much and contribute too little. Work in progress…
Good thoughts, Erin! Your contributions are valuable & speak up so others are reminded!
Thank you, Mom! Working on it!
i love this and thank you for posting! i always used to frame up my ideas with the comment, this is probably stupid, or i don’t know if this is possible/makes sense, etc. and breaking myself of that habit was incredibly tough, but it was stupid to undermine myself before i even spoke!
And, thank YOU for reading! Oh, goodness, I do that, too, and agree… it’s a tough habit to break. How did you do it? any tips? 🙂
glad i popped back! i asked people (my team, boss, matt, etc.) to call me out on it when i did it… they did. i also just started taking a long, deep breath before sharing my opinion-it refocuses me and gives me a second to make sure i believe in what i’m saying so then i don’t have to discount myself. sounds silly and easy but whenever i say something stupid, it’s usually b/c i opened my mouth without thinking it all the way through.
Glad you popped back, too, Rita! Brilliant idea… thanks for sharing! I’ll definitely be asking my people to do the same 🙂 Silence is a bit uncomfortable, but what seems like minutes to you is actually only seconds to everyone else 🙂
cant push the envelope without getting out of our comfort zones. Love it Erin. Thanks for the Thurs morning read.
Nor will you grow if you don’t get out of your comfort zones… that’s where the magic happens. Thanks for reading, Candice!
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