My traditional childhood upbringing trained me to think that one receives their qualifications from a recognized institution or body of people. You are what your degree says you are, or what everyone around you says you are. You need to be recognized by a group of people to be the thing before you can say you are the thing.
To an extent this is still true but my feeling is that it is less true than I had previously thought.
In our world, it has become an everyday occurrence for ambitious people to seemingly come out of nowhere, with unique skills, businesses and art that is appreciated by others.
I’m still having a hard time accepting this. For me, the scariest phrase to hear when I’m trying to share some kind of skill or idea comes in the form of the annoying but smart kid on the playground who stares deep into my soul and says:
“Who do you think you are?!”
Am I really qualified?
In many fields, this phrase and question is becoming obsolete. Our modern day society is full of people who think they are future real estate moguls, CEOs, influencers, music producers, models, and comedians. Many of these people are crazy. Some of them are successful. Most are both.
So what's my takeaway this morning?
You can be whoever you want to be. No I'm kidding, absolutely not. One still has to negotiate their identity with the people around them if they truly want to be taken seriously. Real feedback is important for any market success. But hey kids, if you’re curious about developing a new skill or talent, feel free to start tinkering and don’t wait for any endorsements just yet.
Perhaps it’s always been this way, and I’m only realizing it now?