I will always believe that it's a good idea to throw your hat into the ring! That's right. No matter what, you should go for it.
I'm sure that you've heard that quote from Wayne Gretzky, a former hockey player, where he says: "You will miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
In the realm of hockey, this point makes sense, right? If you literally refuse to take a shot at the net, you're never ever going to score a goal. Of course, there's always the chance that you'll miss the net, but... you're guaranteed to miss if you don't try.
This is such a powerful quote and idea that’s applicable to all of us as ambitious women. It reminds us that if you don’t try to go after the thing you want, you’re guaranteed to never get it.
That's why you've gotta throw your hat into the ring. Because you never ever know what might happen if you try!
Think about it:
If you never submit your essay to the essay contest, you’re guaranteed to lose.
If you never apply for the job or the promotion, it’s guaranteed to go to someone else.
If you don’t ask the person out, they will go out with someone else.
As extremely smart women, we absolutely know this to be true. We know that we're always better off trying. We KNOW this deep in the marrow of our bones.
And yet...
I think it’s easy to forget this as well, especially when we’re staring the thing we want in the face and we’re actively feeling fear or anxiety or imposter syndrome. And because those are such potent things to feel, we sometimes accidentally wind up convincing ourselves not to try.
We might think things like:
If I'm this scared to apply, clearly I shouldn't.
My boss will probably say no to the raise anyway, so I shouldn’t bother.
I’m probably too unqualified for this job anyway, so I shouldn’t apply.
My writing isn't any good, so I shouldn't submit to the contest.
This person is way out of my league. I can't ask them out.
Thoughts like these derail us from trying and guarantee failure.
Is it scary to ask someone out? Hell yes! It's also scary to ask for a raise, or to apply to a job you really want, or to submit your work for consideration to a contest. Putting yourself out there is hard and scary and vulnerable because there’s no possible way to know the outcome in advance. And when we throw out hat into the ring, it’s out of our hands, and it's that lack of control and the presence of uncertainty is very uncomfortable. And to avoid feeling that, we convince ourselves that not trying is better than trying and feeling that discomfort.
And yet...
Think of what you're missing out on if you don't try?
A better paying job
Making yourself proud
A wonderful significant other
A job you love and are good at
Truly, the skill is the limit on what you miss out on when you don't try.
To show you that you're not alone, here are the things I couldn't missed out on if I didn't throw my hat into the ring:
Speaking on a stage in front of 500 women at EmpowerHER Live. (Pictured above!)
Being married to a wonderful man who makes me laugh and think
Having a PhD in English
Having a job in Arkansas I love
I know it's hard to go for it, but... life is way too damn short and you are way too damn talented not to try.
Once again, you never ever know, which is why you've got to try!
If you want to hear more about this topic, go and listen to episode 198 of The Power Within Her Podcast!
XO
Meggy
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