2-3-4 Friday 28 Feb 2025

‘Seeking to spark the most potential within you per word of any online newsletter’

1 thought

Today marks the 1238th day since I left the social services as a social worker (read why I left, and how you can still continue to help others). There were many reasons why I left, but the most important one was feeling that I was …

Wait for it, and please don’t punch me for it.

Being held back.

Mind you, I don’t think I’m exceptionally smart.

But I recall a poignant moment when I was showing my boss some statistics from me running Google Ads for another charity. The numbers were clear.

Google would give $10,000 per month for free, for charities to run Google Ads to raise awareness of their services, drive donations and get more volunteers. When I showed it to my boss, he hemmed and hawed, told me he would speak to the communications department, but nothing ever showed.

When I followed up, he said they were difficult.

There’s the cliche.

You can bring a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink.

It was tough being held back because I knew that just a few months ago, I was sitting with other directors on a board, and trying to figure out how to earn more money.

And there was the ringing endorsement from the CEO, who wrote a referral letter.

All these isn’t to say that I’m great, but it’s to encourage you to know that you have some skills. And to take a long and hard, and honest look at where you are working, and to ask,

am I being held back?

What stops us is an inability to recognise what we are truly capable of. We are humble, and we think,

ah maybe I’m not that good. Sure I’ve great ideas, but maybe I’m wrong?

No I don’t think you’re wrong to think you're better (here's a deeper article why).

You’re just playing it safe.

1 talk

We might never admit to playing things safe, because we like to think of ourselves as adventurous risk takers.

But playing it safe is subtle, because it can disguise itself as humility, and therefore a refusal to truly put oneself out there and come to realise one’s full potential.

1 tip

It’s not wrong to be better than others. It’s not wrong to be ambitious and to want better things for the clients you serve, and to come up with better ideas.

But the problem comes when your organisation is not ready for it. You end up finding yourself fighting over and over to move things that just can’t be moved.

Please don’t get me wrong.

I don’t think you or me are better than others in the organisation who prefer a more conservative way of doing things. In fact, the biggest change that helped me to move forward was realising that they were different.

For a long time, I kept fighting them, and wondering, why weren’t they able to change, and see that things could be better? Then I realised,

hey maybe this just isn’t them.

Being adventurous, risk-taking, and fearless is just not in them.

Trying to change them is impossible.

These qualities - a desire for adventure, for better, some people have them in greater doses.

And it’s not your fault you have those qualities.

You just have to find people who will admire them, and work with them.

John

Live Young, Live Well - Work Your Love

Think others might benefit? I’m counting on you. Forward this on.