Who You Know

I’ll tell you a little story.

I know someone very well-connected in business.  She wanted me to join her new company.  This was a long time ago.  It was in the entertainment industry, and I got to meet her new boss.  I honestly felt under qualified and showed no interest in the position.  I could have had a great job, nice office, perks, travel, met celebrities.  But I said no to all this because I felt embarrassed about my qualifications.  This woman had been my boss and she knew something about me that my resume cannot tell you.  She knows what I can do.  She believed in me, but I didn’t.

Looking back, I see that it’s a pattern.  I’ve ended relationships when I felt inadequate.  I’ve broken hearts because I could not see what others saw in me, and I walked away.

It’s a hard lesson to learn, for me.  When people know you, they have something that means more than anything else.  They know the real you.

Don’t take yourself out of the game.  So many people have a false confidence, and some of us have the opposite problem.  We don’t know our own worth.  We think it’s cheating when someone gives us anything that we don’t feel we’ve earned.

When someone you know believes in you, yes they are giving you a gift.  In return you can reward them by proving them right!

This time, my new boss gave me a recommendation for a position I had not even set my sights on.  Rather than taking myself out of the game, I showed up to play.

And I got the job!

Yes, it will be hard work, but I am thrilled with the opportunity.

I’ve learned a lot.  I know a lot.  And now I know how important having the support of others means to us all.  Paying it forward, helping people find opportunities that are right for them is part of it.  Because now I know what they can do!