Everyone loves Layla. She brings a light and energy to the team that is undeniable. She’s incredibly creative, fun and 100% real and herself.
This is why she is successful.
2) This Comment Was Aimed at a Fear Deep Inside All of Us
This comment wasn’t just personal because it went after a team member and friend, it also hit close to home because I knew that voice. It’s the one that says, “who are you to do anything?” We’ve all heard it in our head at one point or another. It was there for me in the split second I was deciding whether to try something spontaneous during my Christmas play audition and also when I got on stage during my first stand-up comedy open mic.
Sometimes you can silence the voice and you put yourself out there. Other times it wins and an opportunity goes by as you are paralyzed. The voice is dangerous because it draws on our fear of the unknown and failure. It creates the illusion that sections of life are reserved for people better than us. People “more qualified”.
One of my favorite principles in life is that the fool precedes the master. You are never going to truly learn anything if you don’t first put yourself out there, vulnerable and ignorant. Layla hasn’t found success as a voice in the tech space because she claims to have all the answers. She resonates with people because she’s an honest voice going, “hey I’m going on this adventure! I’ll share what I find along the way if you are interested!”.
3 years ago, I was a recent graduate with finance and business analytics majors. I was working as a financial analyst at an insurance company in Pennsylvania, had no background in tech at all, and didn’t even know what SQL was. A far cry away from being a technical product manager in Austin, Texas and certainly not the background you would think would qualify you for this. While I didn’t know much about tech, I did know I was looking for a career change, had a strong interest in breaking into this field, and was willing to put myself out there. I started reading up on the industry, following my interests, and took coding certifications. During this time I would read articles and watch videos by people just like Layla. Hearing from people in college and the beginning of their career was effective. They still remembered what it was like to have none of the vocabulary and foundations you start to build up and which become subconscious over time. Someone who was just a couple steps ahead was just the voice I needed to help pave my own path.
The comment on Layla’s blog made me sad. Both because someone was going after Layla with the sole intention of hurting her and because it spoke to how this person sees the world. There was no seeing the authentic interest in what she talks about, fun colors and thumbnails, and topics accessible to bright eyed college students taking their first steps into tech. This person wasn’t really even angry at Layla, they don’t know Layla. They were lashing out angrily at an illusion they had created for themselves. An illusion that limits what they think they are capable of in their own life.
When we convince ourselves something is unobtainable and outside our control (“well she was only able to accomplish this because she’s pretty”), it lets us off the hook. It allows us to avoid the inconvenient and scary question, “well if you can do something, why haven’t you?”.
Facing this question is never fun. But if you are able to look it in the eye, bare its full weight and responsibility, and step forward, you just might unlock the adventure of your life.
The secret is you’ll never be as qualified as you think you need to be to start that new thing. You learn along the way. There is no one path to a destination but it’s a good tip to know that fortune favors the bold and creative.
And who knows, next time you do that thing you aren’t qualified for; you might just end up with a new internship or job of a lifetime halfway across the country.
