Reject the tyranny of being picked: pick yourself ~Seth Godin
As I was desperately in search of WiFi last week to see if my latest “pitch” had been accepted by a new publisher, three kids in tow, in a foreign country, I felt like a crazy person. Why am I so attached to this? They are offering a pittance and that is IF I am the lucky one. I felt like I was in third grade praying not to be picked last for the kick-ball team.
It was then that I realized that I have been culturally trained to wait to get picked. I waited to hear back from colleges and graduate schools. I sent countless resumes into the abyss and waited. I waited at job fairs and plowed through interview waiting areas. Many times I was picked, many times I was not, but neither felt quite right.
Almost every day since we left on this journey, we have “picked ourselves.” We go where we want to when we want to, and we feel empowered every day. Because of this freedom, the idea of going back to “pick me” felt jarring and damp and heavy. I came away from this contrast grateful for the knowledge that I don’t need permission to pick myself and I have always had the resources I need to do just that. I don’t have to wait. I can publish anything, anytime.
The magic is that as soon as I decided to “pick myself” over waiting to be picked, the offers came flooding in. The best part is that it is much more fun than the waiting game and much more profitable. I love the concept of “picking ourselves” because we have all waited to be picked for something: jobs, relationships, teams, promotions, schools. I think sometimes it is easier to wait because then when we aren’t picked, we can blame some external factor.
There is accountability, excitement and fear in picking oneself and because of that there is a liberating boundlessness that propels us forward and there is no turning back. The freedom is wonderfully frightening and becomes the only palatable choice. It is a decision, every day, to pick oneself.
