What Are you Bringing To The Potluck?
I've been a beginner before. As a relative beginner over two decades ago, I felt intimidated and discounted my existing skills. I felt like I had to work twice as hard and learn as quickly as possible to catch up. I felt pressure to master my craft in the shortest amount of time.
20 years later, I have a completely different orientation as I evolve into the doula world. Now, when I’m surrounded by my experienced colleagues, I don't feel imposter syndrome, despite the fact that I still have so much to learn.
Making Learning My Job Reduced My Fear of Failure
Living within two conflicting truths was disorienting—I was content AND I had also become bored and wasn’t growing. A work slowdown brought opportunity. Pushing myself out of my comfort zone was really hard; having a friend on the journey gave me courage, and fear of being left behind gave me an incentive to act. Choosing a perspective re-orders how you engage with an experience. In my case, permission to focus on learning gave me a way to manage my doubts and fears, while lowering the stakes.
I Left Design Because I Had Stopped Growing
I spent more than a decade working in design before finally calling myself a designer. Twenty years into my career, I had created a life that seemed too good to be true. I knew I was spoiled and lucky, and deeply grateful for the privilege. But I felt like I was beginning to stagnate. Yet, despite my growing dissatisfaction, I had convinced myself that I was content.