It's Just a Potato
I may have already told this story, but it came up today on a call and I realized how valuable this lesson was for me so I am telling it again! When I was a little kid, maybe five or six, my mom was letting me help cook dinner by teaching me how to peel potatoes (incidentally also the only thing I know about cooking!). I had a potato in one hand and the peeler in the other, hacking away trying to make it look smooth and easy like my mom always did. I kept stopping and asking, "Is this okay?" "Does this look right?" Seeking validation that my efforts were correct. I was a chatterbox, I never shut up. My mom finally said, "It's a potato. Do your best. If you screw this up we'll get another and start again." An empowering lesson that I believe has helped me to this day. I assure you, you can call my boss and ask, he never hears from me. I don't feel the need to ask permission for everything I do. I make decisions every day, quite comfortable that