When I sat where you are sitting now, I felt like the only person in the room without a map.
I looked at my colleagues—loud, confident, decisive—and I felt small. But almost 30 years later, I can tell you the secret they are keeping:
Everyone is winging it.
If you are waiting to feel like you “get it,” stop waiting. The people above you don’t have the manual either. They are just better at hiding the panic.
In fact, the louder the character, the deeper the doubt. The noise is often just a mask. A shield. A suit of armour to protect them from being found out.
The solution to this anxiety isn’t to work harder at everything. The solution is to FOCUS.
You have time on your side, even if it feels like it is running out. Use this time to build a body of knowledge that is uniquely yours.
If you try to be all things to all people, you become invisible. You become a “resource,” not a person. But when you are the only one who understands a specific intersection of things, you become invaluable.
But a warning: Do not become an expert in something you hate!
If you get very good at a job you despise, you will be rewarded with more of it. You will get pigeon-holed in a rut of your own making. Don’t follow a dream that others have imposed upon you. I’ve been there and it sucks.
You have to build a future for the singular and amazing person YOU are.
So, how do you find your path?
Let’s start with something easy. Take a blank sheet of paper. Draw three intersecting circles.
- Things I love doing
- Things I am great at
- Things the world needs
Don’t overthink it. Just write.
Look for the place where they overlap. It might not be a job title yet. It might just be a theme. But that intersection is both your safe harbour and your place of genius.
It might sound too straightforward to be helpful. Finding something that you both love and excel at might feel like a pipe-dream. But not only is it possible, it truly is the only path to a joyful and fulfilled life further down the line.
Simply put, this is where you stop “winging it” and start building a life.
So let’s get building!
That Richard Bloke 