At Work, Yes, You Too Are Exceptional

Last updated by Rosie Harlow

I think my life is mundane too. The more I see others making millions, being mature beyond their years, succeeding fast, making it big, turning the tables, the more I feel stuck. It’s impossible to move forward. Because I don’t move, I feel guilty for not succeeding, so I mope around, and I still don’t move. As a result, I settle for what I have, without thinking I deserve more, or even worse, I feel illegitimate when faced with what I have (hello imposter syndrome). Except that in order to succeed in your professional life, you don’t necessarily need to be extraordinary... because, in fact, you already are... In your own way.

At Work, Yes, You Too Are Exceptional

I used to have dreams, now I have a life

As we get older, some realities catch up with us. Things as simple as food and housing. That’s when my dreams took a hit and went to ground, sometimes even disappearing altogether, and I followed a path. I graduated, got a job, lost that job, found another career, got married, and had a child. What could be more mundane? And then there was this dream that remained, a flame that stayed lit: to write a novel. I must have started this novel and given up on it a good ten times. I always ended up feeling like I had nothing to say, nothing to contribute, that I wasn't enough or was even too old.

😁 And then one day, I came across an article that explained how being ordinary wasn’t so bad and above all, that without being extraordinary, none of us are any less exceptional. Yes, you too are exceptional. Let me explain!

>>> However 🤔, Is it a problem not to have ambition in life?

Succeeding in your professional life by being ordinary

No matter what job we do for a living, many of us have ambitions within ourselves. Climbing the ladder, becoming an entrepreneur, changing careers, etc. If there’s ambition in us, we as women often tend to think that we’re worth less, that what we do is ordinary, that we have no merit, or even that we’re imposters (👋 How to free yourself from the imposter syndrome?). By constantly telling ourselves that we have nothing to say, that we’re less valuable than so-and-so, we gradually reduce our scope of action. Today, it’s high time to shine, to become aware of our value and make others aware of it, and to finally get what we really deserve!

Don’t be mundane, be yourself. How?

1. Let people talk

More precisely, we should let our friends, our family, and our spouse speak. In any case, the people who know us well and with whom we have healthy and trusting relationships (goodbye toxic relationships 🚷). Ask them to explain your professional career. I was very surprised, for example, to find that those close to me praised my tenacity regarding my degree (because I started from a long way back 🤤 ), my ability to bounce back after a failure, to hang in there, or my optimism.

💪 And it’s the same for you. There are surely resources within you that you aren’t aware of, events that seem trivial to you but aren’t to others. Sometimes, simply blowing a fuse at work, finding yourself after years of wandering, or having hundreds of ideas for projects makes you a person that others admire and are inspired by. Use the stories of those close to you to boost your confidence, but also use them to attract the attention of recruiters, business associates, and potential clients.

2. Be authentic

Life isn’t a series of things you do or have, there are always stories behind them. It’s your stories that make you exceptional. Tell the story of your job or your career plans and make them as personal as possible to make them memorable. What’s interesting about you is simply your story, not the fact that it’s extraordinary, but because it belongs to you, and you’re unique.

🤫

My partner works in communications and marketing. Nothing crazy on the face of it. What he often fails to mention is that he turned to this career because he wanted to be a fighter pilot, but discovered he had a chronic illness. Communication was a way for him to get into the army through the back door. It turns out that this didn’t work either, but the story still exists! It’s not exceptional, but it’s not mundane either. Furthermore, it’s his story, it’s authentic and in interviews, believe me, you remember this guy who wanted to be a fighter pilot because this detail is personal and interesting.

Your story doesn’t have to be extraordinary to be interesting. The proof is in the matter of a subject that has nothing to do with work: pregnancy and childbirth. Nothing is more mundane than a pregnant woman giving birth. It happens every day, and yet we’re overwhelmed by stories of traumatic births, or more successful ones, by anecdotes and other things told by our friends, relatives, or on social media. Yet although the thing is commonplace, the story never is!

😚 😚 Be real, don’t make it up, your story is enough on its own, that’s for sure. And when in doubt, remember that the world of work doesn’t just need little prodigies, geniuses, and people who change the world. No, sometimes we just need to be able to relate to our colleague who has given themselves the education of their dreams to boost their career.

Editor’s note: Yes, you’re extraordinary!

You’re unique, we all are, and that’s what makes us strong and unique. No matter what your life, your experiences, your dreams, your uniqueness makes you a special person and therefore extraordinary. Sometimes we’re so hard on ourselves that we feel we’re worthless, that others laugh at us, reject us, etc... What a pity and what a waste of energy when you could use it differently to express your full potential. And that’s where the coach comes in, over the course of the sessions, they’ll give you the keys, make you aware of your resources and help you put in place new habits that will allow you to flourish and be happy.

🤗 Understanding yourself, accepting yourself, being happy... It’s here and now!

#BornToBeMe

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Article presented by Rosie Harlow

Writing has always been a form of therapy for me. For as long as I can remember, I have always used paper as a punching bag. Get to know me, I am Rosie Harlow.

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"Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." 

- Oscar Wilde