I'm "just"...

Don't sell yourself so short.

“Zoom in for gratitude. Zoom out for perspective and progress.” - Tommy Rivs

I smiled and laughed so much last Friday, it was my birthday, it was a day that was full of joy and so much happiness. Each day we are all blessed to be surrounded by so many beautiful and inspiring people in our lives and it’s important not to get complacent with that feeling. I think what made last Friday extra special was 1. I was able to fly home from Cairns and spend a good chunk of my birthday in my hometown and even managed to sneak in 2 hours of solo time out on the trails.
2. Seeing worlds collide on Friday night. I have never been in a situation where I was able to bring my running/photography/uni student friends and my high school/tradie/childhood friends together in the same space. To look to my left and see just about everyone that I love at the same table was a beautiful moment.

This week’s substack has been inspired by one of them yellow car moments, where you hear your friend talk about buying a yellow car and then all of a sudden you start to see them everywhere. Frequency illusion is the actual name of it, not the yellow car moment fyi…
I wish I could plug the podcast that started the Frequency illusion on the word ‘just’ for me but I’ve had a full brain fart on this one. Anywho, let’s launch into it.

You’re catching up with an old mate, sharing stories, drinking coffee and you dive into the old ‘what do you do for work these days’ topic or ‘what have you been up to?’
For so long - I’d lead with “I'm ‘just’ a carpenter.” or I’d hear friends say - I’m ‘just’ a barista. When I reflect on why I used to do this it would be the lack of confidence I had in myself or I’d be making up excuses as to why I don’t do anything else.
I was comparing myself to someone in a hierarchy. Like I had something to prove?

Why do we undervalue the work we do – whatever that may be?

Removing the word ‘just’ from that space can help us tell an even better story of ourselves. You might not be completely in love with the career you are in but right now it’s providing you with the essentials to get that passion project off the ground or help you fund your next backpacking trip. Adding in the word ‘just’ is selling yourself short of the season of life you are currently in. Doesn’t matter if you are ‘just’ a cleaner at the local shopping centre or ‘just’ a front-of-house staff member at a local cafe - you are important and provide so much more value than you give yourself enough credit for.

My challenge for you this week and moving forward is to catch yourself out when you are in a situation where you may quietly sneak the word ‘just’ in.
When someone comes along and asks you what you do with yourself - speak clearly and proudly.
“I’m a barista at this really fun cafe!”
“I clean houses for a living.”
“I’m a stay-at-home mum.”

Have a lovely week ahead.

Make yourself proud and smile at strangers.

Jono <3

A few moments court on camera this week that made me smile;