All right now imagine all three situations, but there are no smoke machines this time, you fling the door open yourself, you catwalk down that alley strip and your foot trips over the other... this time everyone is staring but it's not in awe... that, with a little less exaggeration would be me! I may even laugh a little loud at something that isn't funny so that people think that I am having fun or have potential to be a cool person in their mind. If you are honest enough, you would admit to being silly like this, sometimes. Okay, well maybe its just me!
You see in both situations people have already stereotyped you and put in a box. But more than them, you, have stereotyped yourself and put yourself in a box and are desperately trying to get out of it. Or maybe you love being there just a tad too much!
Here's a reality check, most of us place ourselves in the wrong box.
For me, my mental, very untrue, stereotype is that I am the smallest person in the room. In the past, this has been my biggest challenge ever. I would be part of a conversation and not say a word. I would be part of a brain storming meeting and never contribute any of my ideas, cause I am, well, the smallest person at the meeting!
I know that a lot of my past experiences, cruel comments and even my culture and upbringing took a part of me grading myself this way.
I even made some logical explanations to my actions. I was in fact the youngest person in this room. I maybe the least educated, the least experienced, I have been broken too many times to find any self-confidence somewhere in there, no one really took me under their wing and taught me or helped me to cross sides. It seems so, that these were all but mere excuses not to break out of my shell. I am shy, I am timid, I am insecure, I am not that kind of a leader, blah blah blah!
But I imagined, dreamed, procrastinated and hoped the opposite all the time!
You may have heard the saying fake it, till you make it!
You don't feel like a leader? You don't know if you can finish what has been given to you? You don't think you have anything to contribute that is worthy of mentioning or being heard?
Well fake it till it all makes sense!
Heck, put on those pair of boots till your shoulders are straight and your head is held high! Research, prepare, rehearse till it makes sense in your head before you present it at a meeting!
You may fall a few times but trust me, have a go again and again! Don't give up!
I also realized that God created something strong out of my weakness.
It caused me to be a really good listener. To catch someone's vision or dream and present it well. To slowly praying in public, and commenting when i was sure of something, even blogging and tagging people so they can read this!
If you feel like you are the smallest person in the room, you are there because you can and need to conquer it. By conquer, I don't mean pick up a sword, the war is on! I mean, take a step back, read yourself. Find the negatives and positives and start working on them.
There are three things I have found key to conquering this:
First of all, Humility! God has had to do some major cleaning up to be able to make space for this department. And let Him!
Next, Discipline! Create some routines in your time frame that will help shape what you are hoping to change about yourself.
And finally, Perseverance... Our generation is probably one of the most laziest group of people I have ever met. Including myself! We quit when we are a step away from reaching our goal. Even if you fall down, fail, don't impress your boss, persevere to making your challenge, your opportunity to building and creating something new, fresh and anointed!
Here's a final tip: Don't let anyone steal your joy when you do get there!
You are the smallest person in the room, where are your pendulum controls taking you?
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