Never Leave Your Ego At The Door

The algorithm recently served me some words of wisdom by legendary bass player Victor Wooten. Paraphrased here:

"Ego means to know thyself. To know your self worth. If you want people to know your worth, it needs to start with you. If I go to the doctor's office and I go 'Hey Doctor, are you a good doctor?' and if the doctor responds 'well... I try. I'm ok...' I'm walking out of that doctor's office. I want the doctor to be confident and know that they're good."

"If you want your employer to hire you because you're good, it starts with you. You need to know you're good."

This really hit home for me. I think people associate ego with arrogance. But I never see a confident doctor and read that as arrogance. I feel it as reassurance.

These words found me at just the right time. I am starting to wonder what could be next for my career, whether it's a new role or a new company. And as a typical introverted developer, it's easy for me to justify avoiding the pain of job interviews for the sake of continuing on in my comfortable routine.

But growth never comes through comfort. In this phase, even in the insane job market out there, I will try my best to channel this knowledge of myself. Whether or not any given job is the right fit, I will seek to show up as myself, knowing that my skill and experience will lead me to the next phase of growth.

Take care out there. And know your worth.