I was watching a Tedx talk by Elan Morgan (aka – Schmutzie and Ninjamatics) about the Power of Self-Doubt and her talk resonated with me – definitely a great video to check out. But it wasn’t her intended topic (self-doubt), that struck a nerve. Instead, I was reminded to be exactly who you are, no matter what. Her personal examples of not following her dream because she didn’t want to be judged by it or because it wasn’t perfect, reminded me that not long, I was in that place too. I was protecting who I was because I was not willing to take the leap and own who I am, at all times.

One of the most poignant things I remember saying to a coach was, “I am two completely different people: at work I am driven, a go-getter, completely type A, and probably a bit ruthless if I’m being honest; at home I am laid back, try to make as few decisions as possible, and go with the flow.” Um, how in the world does that work

? Which one is truly me? I found that the dichotomy was making it very difficult for me to find a company or job that matched my needs – I was successful in a cut-throat company, but I wanted to work in a smaller gentler environment. See the issue with that?

Needless to say, I didn’t own who I am, which led to a few job/company misalignments along the way. And the frustration, heartache and annoyances that came along with it.

Own Who You Are – And Land a Better Job

When you are searching for a new job, or evaluating your current one, are you being true to YOU? Are you being honest with yourself about you strengths, your personality flaws, your weaknesses, your desires? And are you owning them?

When a recruiter asks you what your weaknesses are, are you feeding them a line of bullsh*t like the 30 other applicants, or are you being transparent? From personal experience, if a candidate gave me the standard “this is a good thing but it’s also a bad thing” answer or my favorite, “I don’t have any weaknesses,” they were knocked out of the running. They were not only treating me like an idiot, but they were also not self-aware – a very dangerous weapon in the working world, particularly when hiring.

You as a person/applicant/candidate/employee is valuable for who YOU ARE. If you are not confident in that, if you have self-doubt, if you feel you are unworthy – it will show. And you are knocking yourself out of the running for new opportunities and adventures.

No one is perfect, we all have flaws and we have all made mistakes. I’m not saying that you should air your dirty laundry, but you should always be the best version of you. It may be painful at first, and you will probably feel a bit… naked. But it will propel you even further than you ever imagined.