“I can do all the things, hard and easy, but still all the things” was once my personal mantra. It didn’t matter if that specific thing brought me hardship later. As long as I was taking the stuff in the trenches, and still surviving through, meant perseverance, right? Wrong. So, so wrong. A wise mentor in my life told me that just because I can do something, it doesn’t mean that I have to do something. I was right, I can do all the hard things, but it doesn’t mean that I had to. I don’t have to put myself into situations that I really don’t need to be in, even if I am strong enough to take it. 

To take this personal lesson to the professional world, just because I can do every task assigned to me right then and right there, it doesn’t mean I have to. There’s a huge difference between being a team player and being a dust rag. I am a person with value and a person with gifts and talents to bring to the table, and I get to celebrate that, even from the bottom of the professional totem pole. I should be able to grow my existing talents and learn new skills, and that means that I must be given room to grow. A place to share what I have to offer to the world. A safe environment to screw up and try again. I am more than a dust rag cleaning other people’s messes. I am a person too, and just because I can do all the hard things, doesn’t mean that I have to.