FU, I'll go get my MBA too!

Do you ever read your stuff or listen back on an interview of yourself and think, wow – that was clever!  This happens to me all the time and I don’t mean that from ego stand point, I genuinely am surprised by what rises and falls in my brain, and often don’t remember I actually created it.

Let me share what I mean…

I didn’t go to uni until I was in my 40’s.  I was a high school dropout, never considered myself an intellect and only applied to uni because some smart *ss in the office I worked in kept referring to “when I was at university” – blah blah blah.

So I said FU, I’ll go get my MBA too!

Completely naïve to the pre-requisites and the process, my classmates seemed flabbergasted that I had managed to get myself into the program.  I didn’t know what the big deal was, until we were a few lectures in…

That first 7 weeks was scary and I really thought I had made a huge mistake, but eventually I figured things out, got some OK marks and managed (to my surprise) pass the first semester – woohoo!

Then one night at a concert I was in the bathroom and I overheard a girl say to her friend “I just don’t know how I’m going to remember everything when it comes to exam time!” and I said to her that I couldn’t explain why or how, but for me, the information just showed up when I needed it.

Does this happen to you?

It just happened to me again today.  I did a podcast interview with Mel Loy, the amazing Director of Hey Mel! Comms & Training, and we talked all things event planning on her show Less Chatter More Matter (you can listen to the episode here).

I’ve just listened back to the episode and so many times I’m like, wow, that was really clever LOL.  Don’t worry, she says lots of clever things too.

Like when she asked me for tips on how to bring sustainability into internal events and I suggested that organisers encourage special interest sub-groups drawn from those parts of the organisation, or from people who are interested in that subject.

Or when Mel asked me what the biggest challenge is when planning events with clients and she took my response and articulated it to perfection.

“So what you’re saying is that clients need to take a strategic approach to planning the event, not a tactical approach.”  I couldn’t have said it better myself!  (well, she is the comms professional).

Sally the point is trust yourself that when you need that piece of knowledge that you stored away all those years ago, that it will rise to the top when you need it.  Be confident in meetings that when someone asks you for your opinion, that you will have the resources to back it up, share what you know, in the knowledge that the “workings” of that thing will appear in your mind the minute you need them.  Don’t sit back, don’t wait to be asked, put your hand up and say “I know”, because you do.

And if you need any proof or any reminding, just go back and read or listen to some epic content you have created in the past year.

Check out Mel’s epic podcast here.  As the communications professional, she is so clever and I have learnt so much from being in her circle.  I highly recommend it.