with Britt Reints
Forget the 9 to 5; Full Time, All the Time is a blog about the mobile working life - when you have the freedom to work from anywhere and the responsibility of always having your smartphone turned on. Britt Reints works as a freelance writer while traveling fulltime in an RV with her husband and two kids. She explores balancing real-life bills with an unconventional work life, and finding time to maintain relationships with family and friends.
You can also find Britt at InPursuitOfHappiness.net.
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One of the most amazing women I know recently returned to work after being at home with her two boys for eight years. The transition happened a little earlier than she and her family had anticipated, but the perfect opportunity came along and she decided to jump on it. I’m excited for her and proud of her.
And I was completely shocked to learn that her confidence isn’t what it used to be.
This is a woman my husband has met exactly once and instantly admired and respected. This is a woman who is smart, compassionate, and articulate. This is a woman that other women want to be like when they grow up.
And it turns out she struggles with some of the same nerves and doubts that may of the rest of us do.
I received an email from an editor yesterday raving about my work. She used all caps and the words “SO DARN GOOD” to describe a project that had taken me very little time to complete. I hadn’t thought of the work as anything particularly impressive when I turned it in; I was just doing my job the same way anyone in my position would. I was stunned to get her glowing feedback.
I don’t think of myself as an exceptionally good writer. I make typos all the time, I haven’t mastered all the rules of grammar, and I’m constantly reading other people’s words and thinking “why can’t I do that?” I realize I’m a good enough writer to make a living as a freelancer on the Internet, but I have stopped myself from going after bigger projects many times because I’m not that good.
Certainly I’m not SO DARN GOOD.
And yet a professional in my field has no problem assigning me that label.
Why do so many of us undervalue our abilities?
Why do others seem to be far more impressed with what we’re capable of?
What in the world could we accomplish if we knew how good we were?
I want to sit down with women who seem to appreciate their talent and ask them how they came to that level of acceptance. I want to know when they began to value not just their time - which I have no problem putting a price tag on - but their skills.
Do you know how good you are at what you do?
How did you come to accept that?
Great article…this is something that A LOT of women (including myself) struggle with. Thank you for bringing this subject up.
Lesly | April 27th, 2011 at 9:54 am
I feel the same. CONSTANTLY. In fact, I don’t go after work/projects that I would love to do because of this.
I think you’re fabulous and I love you.
sam {temptingmama} | April 27th, 2011 at 3:24 pm
SInce this is so subjective, it can work both ways, and has over the course of my career. I’ve had times when I was practically convinced my IQ was under 100 and I was lucky not to be on mental disability. And I’ve had times when I felt an hour of my work was worth a day of my compensation.
Right now, on that continuum, I’m closer to the latter. I have qualifications for which businesses routinely pay multiple hundreds of dollars per hour. My partners do not value them that way, however. Depending on the task, I often feel like I have put in a good day’s work within a few hours, but right now, I’m the only person who thinks so. So who is right?
I could “prove it” by seeking a well-paid salaried job or hanging out my own shingle. However, I have no desire to do that right now. Apparently the intangibles of my current situation are sufficient to outweigh the money issue. But it would be nice to hear some indication that the value of my work is noticed as much as the number of hours I spend feverishly on task.
SKL | April 28th, 2011 at 4:41 am
I think that is it easy to undervalue yourself when you work so hard each day, and never really step back to appreciate the quality of what you do. I have found that as I get older and have more experiences in life and in working with others, I have come to see myself from other people’s perspectives; that I am good at what I do, and I have worked hard to be who I am and know what I know. My self confidence have come in strides.
However, I feel that having a little humility, or having that little voice asking “am I good enough? Could I do better?” actually keeps us from becoming complacent. I don’t ever want to get to a place where I feel like I am the best and can do everything perfect, cause then where would the fun be in trying harder or trying to learn more?
Sara | May 1st, 2011 at 5:46 pm