500 Words a Week - Embracing What We Don’t Know

After my first year of full-time employment, I gained a newfound confidence. I thought I had it all figured out, sitting at that peak of the Dunning-Kruger effect, full of confidence, but lacking real competence. It wasn’t until I interned at Elon University in America that I realized just how much I had to learn.

Instead of shrinking back into my comfort zone, I chose to embrace this moment. When we acknowledge how much we don’t know, the world becomes so much more expansive. Suddenly, opportunities appear. We begin to see how much we can learn from each person we meet.

After four years at Leicester, I moved to London with my wife, unemployed but determined to find work. I was fortunate enough to land a job at Arsenal, and once again, I encountered a humbling truth, there are levels, and then there are levels. And behind those levels, there are more levels. It’s easy to feel intimidated by this realization. It’s at this moment we have to ask ourselves, do we see this as a threat, or do we see it as an opportunity to step up our game?

After three years at Arsenal, I couldn’t ignore the feeling that the goals I had set for myself at 18 no longer aligned with who I was becoming. There was a calling for something more. Towards coaching, towards helping individuals lead fulfilling lives, and supporting them through their struggles. Taking the leap into this new world was a risk, and only time will tell how it unfolds. But I know I’m enjoying the work I’m doing, and the people I’m fortunate to work with value it too.

At the start of this new journey, I was blissfully unaware of the trials and tribulations ahead. This has been by far the hardest thing I’ve ever tried to do, and one of the most difficult parts is facing uncertainty every day and choosing to keep showing up. But, as with the experiences I’ve mentioned above, I can now clearly see how much I don’t know, and how much I don’t even know that I don’t know.

And again, the question remains, do we see this as a threat, or as an opportunity? It’s all too easy to focus on what might go wrong and how we may fail. But what if it goes right?

As with the running theme of this blog, the reason I’m sharing these thoughts is to cement them in my own mind and remind myself of these lessons when I need them most. I hope that by putting these reflections out there, it can help some of you too.

Here’s to seeing the opportunities around us. Here’s to living life expansively.