The Working Experience: Five Reasons You Think You Are Not Good Enough
Matty Kerr is co-creator with John Brancaccio of The Working Experience. Listen to our podcast on iTunes and Spotify and visit our website: theworkingexperience.com for videos, merchandise and more. You can also find us on Facebook, Linked In, Instagram, and Twitter.
Number One: Someone told you that.
My father told me once, “You’re not that handy.” Meaning I wasn’t good with tools and building or fixing things.
Truth was, he was not handy. He tried to pretend he was but the things he built looked like crap. He had no idea what he was talking about. What he was saying was just a reflection of his own insecurities.
I had to find out for myself. I worked a grip ( a rigger) on films and commercials for 5 years. Am I an expert? No. But I learned to do a few things and realized I had some hidden skills.
Number Two: You don’t try.
People often substitute “can’t” for “won’t”.
People say, “I can’t cook.” Anyone with opposable thumbs can cook. Children can cook. The truth is, they won’t cook. They are too lazy and would rather order food. That is fine but at least be honest about it.
People say, “I can’t write.” Anyone can write. I’m writing right now. It might be garbage but at least I’m writing.
My friend’s wife once said, “I’d love to write a screenplay.” This baffled me. Sit down and write it! Get the pad and pen out and start writing some dialogue, write a little treatment, whatever.
Number Three: You are afraid.
If you don’t try you will never fail. There is a certain amount of comfort in that.
Fear often masks itself as apathy. It is easy to stay in a job that you kind of don’t like rather than take a chance and go for the job you really want. When people don’t try they think that in some way they had the option and just chose not to take it, which gives the illusion of having control.
However, in the long run that only leads to frustration and a lack of fulfillment.
My very good friend, David, is a camera operator in NYC. He had a comfortable job as a grip (a rigger) for almost twenty years and could have just kept on doing that. But he wanted more. He took the chance. He had set backs, was almost fired from the Blacklist by none other than James Spader, but he persisted and is climbing the ladder.
Number Four: Other people are trying to drag you down.
The crab mentality is powerful. Other people, friends, family, coworkers, will tell you to not bother.
Why?
Change is scary for people. If they see someone trying to make a change and strive for something better, they will often react with scorn and negativity. They are afraid that you might actually be succesfull.
It calls them out. Your success would only highlight their lack of courage and willing ness to work for something. It is so much more comforting for these people to think of themselves as victims of forces beyond their control, rather than take responsibility for their own lives.
Number Five: You think success requires a special skill or talent that you do not possess.
This is patently and demonstrable false. The problem is, we only ever get to see the success, not the climb. We do not see the journey of the years of failure that led to an ordinary person to becoming the star, the billionaire, the professional athlete.
There is no secret. You work hard, you try, you fail, you learn, you try again. Wash, rinse, repeat. Over and over.
Beyond anything else, you need to believe in what you are doing, the value of it. If your goal is to be rich and famous, you might as well play the lottery. That will not sustain you.
What will sustain you is your passion to create something worthwhile, something that you love and cherish.
Do this and share it with people and you are sucessful. Guaranteed.
