It’s easy to get lost in the difficulty of developing a presentation, a project in the NICU, research, or another endeavor.
You may be tempted to re-re-re-do your slides for fear that you left out a vital nugget of evidence. You might be concerned that you’re not the best person to be leading the way or what others will say about the results of your efforts. You’re not alone. Insecurities creep into our noggins.
We believe it helps to know that:
- No one has all the answers.
- Some of the best ideas come when you’re ready to throw in the towel.
- It’s ok to throw it all away and start over.
- It’s normal to experience feelings of doubt and dread until you’re close to the end.
- There is confusion and clutter in the middle that must be dissected and then curated for nuggets of gold. Expecting the chaos helps objectify it.
- If co-creating or co-presenting, there is give and take between contributors, making the outcome much better.
- It’s a process. We’re all in process. And it’s ok to be where you are.
- There will be a light at the end of the tunnel; sooner or later, it will come.
- Wearing slippers and sweats sometimes fuels creativity – promise.
- Coffee helps. Healthy-ish food does too.
- Laughing is necessary.
- “It’s supposed to be hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it.” – Tom Hanks
- Quality is never an accident.
No matter what you’re working on, know that you’re surrounded by a community of friends and colleagues that wants to see you win.
Enjoy the real-ness of your imperfect adventure. Most of all, step back occasionally and be grateful that you get to do work that matters.
