The Musings Of An Opinionated Sod [Help Me Grow!]

That doesn’t mean I didn’t want to be, I just wasn’t sure if I was equipped with the skills that I felt I needed to be a good one.

A similar thing happened when I was first made head of a department.

I loved the idea of it, but I was terrified that I didn’t have the skills or experience needed to be really good at it.

Some would say I’m still not.

Even when I started cynic, I had doubts.

Again, the idea of starting my own company was very exciting for me, but I was concerned I lacked the knowledge to make it work.

In all cases I was wrong …

I am a good Dad.

I [think] I am a good leader of my team.

I am proud of all we achieved at cynic.

The thought I may have not done any of those things because I wasn’t sure if I was ready, scares me to death.

The fact I could have allowed myself to miss out on some of the greatest things I’ve ever done – some of the greatest things I’ll ever do – just because I thought I wasn’t experienced enough shows the danger of contentment versus fulfilment.

Sure, you could argue what you haven’t done can’t hurt you … but the reality is I wanted to do all of these things, so it’s not like I would have gone on in my life without thinking about it and for me, a life left wondering is far worse than a life of trying and failing.

Part of the reason I was able to ‘take the plunge’ was because I was very lucky to have people around me who continually helped, supported and encouraged my growth … whether that was my wife, my friends, my bosses or my colleagues.

But part of it was because I realised there’s rarely a time where people feel ‘they are ready’ … the ones who progress just had a desire to learn, explore, and lead while also understanding – and communicating – that making mistakes was inevitable.

It’s not that they want to make mistakes … it’s just that they knew in their quest to make things happen, it would happen.

In fact in my experience, it’s the people who focus on always being safe … never making a mistake … that ultimately stop moving forward.

That doesn’t mean you should ever think you know everything … learning, talking, listening are vital elements to making better decisions, regardless of your experience … however if the desire to progress is there, then you are as ready as you probably ever will be.