August 18, 2021 – Osasu Oviawe

Today, I was part of a meeting where someone was obviously making a strong point, but he was uncomfortable with being right. So he stopped midway, and left the stage for others.

His colleague who was lacking in domain expertise was beaming with confidence. He took the stage and spoke about everything but the subject.

I had to call a timeout and have a chat with the guy who was obviously holding himself back. He was calling his stance humility, instead of the right name – timidity.

Everyone in the room would have left a little less informed if the charade was allowed to go unchecked.

He stepped back into the meeting and gave so much insight, the tone of his voice changed from quaky to bold.

He is one of the lucky few that gets a second chance to show up.

I am thankful for second chances.

The most awkward feeling is when you see people who wish you well, become unhappy with how well you flourish.

They have a cap to how high you should jump, how big you should grow, how strong you should get. They limit your capacity with their mind’s assessment of what is possible. Breaking that limit makes them feel vulnerable, or worse still inadequate.

Then they sell a narrative of you getting too much too soon. They first sell ut to themselves, then they sell it to others, before trying to sell it to you.

If you value the relationship, then take them along for the ride. At the start, they will be a drag, but journeys have a way of expanding limited minds.
If you do not value the relationship, totally shut them out. Good or bad, people can only continue to judge you if you keep giving them a taste of you.

– Osasu Oviawe

Day: August 18, 2021

Second chances

Awkward