Linchpinning

“Don’t hold yourself from being happy because you’re afraid it’s going to be taken away.”

I have a list of topics I have written down that have popped into my head of what I want to write about. I was looking at this list and this quote was one of those things. This quote reminded me of the book, “Linchpin” by Seth Godin, which I am currently reading in my Media Management class.

In case you don’t know what a linchpin is, it is “a person or thing vital to an enterprise or organization.”

To be a linchpin, you can’t let things like fear hold you back. You may want to do something big but you’re afraid of what’s going to happen. What’s the worst thing that’s going to happen? You’re going to fail? Maybe, but what if you succeed? You’re going to be judged? Maybe, but no matter what you do you’re going to be judged. You can’t make everyone happy. Also, I believe if someone is judging you, there’s a good chance they’re wishing they could do what you’re doing.

I know those thoughts go through my head. I am more of a creative person and have always been interested in those jobs that are very competitive and involve a lot of rejection such as being an author or an artist. Those kind of jobs are things that could never happen, but they’re definitely not going to happen if I don’t try. A linchpin would try even with the possibility of failure.

I wanted to major in communication for a long time but didn’t because I wasn’t the greatest at it. Though I am still not the greatest at it and still have areas that need work, I am better than I once was. I have learned how to improve my ways of communication by finally majoring in communication years later of wanting to do so. If I hadn’t let my fear of not being good hold me back I probably would be an even better communicator than I am now (though there are some situational things that have affected me with being a better communicator).

I grew up in a home where I couldn’t learn something new without being called stupid or useless. My first instinct when it comes to learning something new is to run away. I have had people who have recently come into my life who have pushed me in a healthy way to try something new even if I may fail or be terrible at it. The biggest example is my job at the tv station. I have been exposed to so much new territory that I have to learn. I know when I first started this job in 2015 I worked three times that entire year because I was so terrified to fail. I obviously was interested enough to apply to the job, but beyond getting the job I was terrified to do anything.

With most things, you have to do them many times to get good at them. The same is with the tv station. I have come from the girl who didn’t know a thing, to a girl who now shows others how to do things. I know there are still times that I hold myself back from learning, but I also know there are many times where I stop myself from running the other direction to stay and learn whether it’s from someone else or from my own mistakes.

Everyone makes mistakes but what sets someone apart is if you learn from your mistakes instead of letting them hold you back.