“The first question you tend to get asked when you meet someone at a party is…”so what do you do?”
And according to how impressive your answer is, people are either keen to get to know you better, or swiftly leave you behind by the nuts.
We’re anxious because we live in a world of snobs, people who take a tiny part of us – our professional identities – and use these to come to a complete verdict about how valuable we are as humans.”
The above text is about the first 20 seconds of a fantastic video discussing status anxiety and our careers. I think many of us can relate to a career that isn’t going as we planned. Having to explain why you haven’t “made it” yet to friends and family especially this time of year.
I used to think I only had myself to blame for where I ended up in this life, but it turns out this is a dangerous mindset to hold. Despite the loads of opportunities and freedom we have to make choices that help us get where we want to go, not everything in this world is under our control or power. But despite the large amount of factors outside of our control that have an overwhelming impact on your career, Meritocracy still has us feeling poorly about ourselves when things don’t work out as we planned. And that’s bad.
Success can be defined by more than your job or accomplishments in the work place. Refuse to believe that any society can really be meritocratic. Luck or accident continue to determine a critical share of where people end up in the hierarchy. Treat no on -not least yourself – as though they entirely deserve to be where they are.
If you’ve struggled with confidence or anxiety related to your career and accomplishments, I highly recommend checking out the video below.
