Have you ever passed up on an opportunity because you didn’t feel good enough? Maybe you imagined all the other people who were more qualified than you and assumed it was pointless for you to throw your hat in the ring.
Well, that’s exactly how I felt when I saw an opening for a freelance writing position that would involve me writing about all the beautiful places and attractions in the state of Wisconsin, EVERY DAY! I’d be getting PAID to practice appreciation! I got all excited about applying, but then quickly talked myself out of it. “I write very inconsistently, there’s no proof that I could write every day even if I was being paid to.”
I felt defeated and gave up.
A few days later I came across a piece of advice meant for someone else that shifted my mindset completely:
“APPLY! Let them tell you no. Right now you’re denying yourself.”
I was denying myself! The whole point of accepting a new position is to grow into it. Why shouldn’t I open myself up to growing into this? I could easily use my bursts of creativity to write several articles at a time so that I’d always have articles to fall back on if I wasn’t in a writing mood!
So I applied. I applied by writing an article in the very style they were looking for: 10 Reasons To Hire Josh Billings As Your Freelance Wisconsin Writer. Complete with 10 bullet points ranging from comical to practical with a fun picture for each of them. After all, what better way to prove I can do the work than by actually doing it?
I don’t know if this will eventually net me the job, but the bigger point is that I went from feeling defeated before I even started, to feeling proud of what I’ve created. And all with a simple change in mindset: “Stop denying yourself. Start looking for ways things can work out.”
So what opportunities might you be denying yourself? What would happen if you looked for all the reasons why it might work out instead of the reasons why it wouldn’t? And is there a way of making the process of putting yourself out there fun and rewarding, so that’s it’s worth your time even if they say no?