I am really fortunate to have the pleasure of working with incredible people from all over the world. But recently, I’ve been noticing that plenty of my friends, colleagues and collaborators have started saying things like…
“I’m just [insert job title that they worked really hard for here]”
“I just did [insert incredible new thing that they have spent ages developing here]”
I have noticed that not only are people not recognising their worth, they are often under selling the brilliant work that they are doing. Ok, I get it, many of us don’t want to appear arrogant or big headed and yes, that is a really important consideration, but you shouldn’t be underselling yourself either. It’s a tricky balance to obtain and it certainly isn’t easy.
I believe that none of us are “just” anything. We are all incredible individuals who bring our different backgrounds, experiences and skills and that means we can provide important and meaningful contributions. Our unique self tapestries are our unique selling points. So whether it’s who you are or what you are doing, it’s really important to recognise the worth of that alongside the potential biases that it might introduce.
The really interesting thing is that more I’ve been recognising this and calling it out, I have begun to notice, that I do it too (ahhhhhh, don’t worry, I am working on this too!)!
As we begin the new academic term, I have made it my mission to use the word “just” much more intentionally and only when I truly mean it. So remember, that you are not “just” anything or anyone, you are uniquely you and that is your superpower.
Dr Emma Yhnell 