What Does "Get Yourself Out There" Mean?

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Summary

"Get Yourself Out There!" What does that even mean?!

In this post I offer a little bit more about what getting yourself out there means, and why it is important. Specifically, I explain:

• Why authenticity is your super power
• How you shouldn't worry so much about what people think
• How "There" = the arena, the place you can make an impact
• Why it's so important to not spend time in places where there is little chance of making an impact

This is the first post of a two post series. In the next post I will offer more about what "Show Them What You Can Do" means to me.

Full Transcript

You may have heard me, from time-to-time, talk about the importance of "Getting Yourself Out There" and, "Show Them What You Can Do!"

So I thought it might make sense, before I talk about that too much, to explain what I mean by that. This will be part I of a two part series to explain what I mean by, "Get Yourself Out There and Show Them What You Can Do!"

To start: "Get Yourself Out There." What do I mean by that? To me this phrase is really important for a couple of reasons.

First: you've got to get yourself out there. What I mean by "yourself" is your authentic self. There are lots of people who are out there doing stuff, but they're not letting their authenticity be their super power. Authenticity really is YOUR superpower. The reason I know this is because authenticity is everybody's superpower. Your true self - that is your superpower, and you've got to let that thing out, warts and all.

Often times, the weirder your true self is, the better it is because that probably means its remarkable and unique and interesting and people will pay attention. 

Of course, the other thing about being one's authentic self is: not worrying so much about what other people think. I forget who said it, but there is a well known quote that goes along the lines of: "In your 20s you worry about what other people think. In your 30s and 40s you don't care what other people think. In your 50s and 60s you realize nobody was ever even thinking about you at all."

Getting yourself out there means getting your authentic self out there and not worrying about the nay-sayers, including your own internal voices of doubt.  

So where is "there"?

To me, "there" is the place where there is an opportunity to make an impact. "There" is that point where a little bit of leverage can really make a difference. That place may be different for different people, depending on what you are doing. 

But "there" also has to do with avoiding places that don't matter. While you want to be present in places that matter, maybe even more important, you want to not be present in places that are a waste of your time.  

How does this relate to career stuff? Employers and organizations that are going to give you scholarships or jobs - if they are worth working for - this is going to be what they are looking for. They will be looking for your ability to get yourself out there. 

Not only that, but in terms of career success, getting yourself out there is kind of a double whammy, because by getting yourself out there, you get their attention. Employers will want to hire you if  you can show them evidence that you know how to get yourself out there. But they will also want to hire you because you're able to highlight that evidence by being able to get yourself out there. 

That's just a little bit about what I mean by, "Get Yourself Out There." In the next post, I'll describe more about what I mean by, "Show Them What You Can Do."

Until then, I hope you get yourself out there and show them what you can do!