In our quest to become the best we can be we erect our own barriers. These barriers are formed from our beliefs; beliefs about ourselves. These barriers that we erect are our Boogie Men. We let our erroneous beliefs about ourselves haunt us to a point of mediocrity. For example, I have two Bachelor’s degrees, a certification that all managers in the food service industry must have, and many other skills acquired on my life’s journey. Despite all the value I can bring to the table I let my Boogie Man haunt me. My Boogie Man is my criminal background. I disqualified myself from many opportunities before the opportunity disqualified me. In other words I wouldn’t even apply for certain positions I am more than qualified for because I believed I wouldn’t get it because of my back ground; I should have applied and let the opportunity accept or reject me. Instead I rejected myself.
We spend time worrying about a Boogie Man that doesn’t exist until we create him by looking.
I try not to worry about a Boogie Man, instead I look for the chance to increase my skill set, knowledge base and anything else that will make me better. I will apply for any and every job that I am qualified for, if I get it my personal development will benefit. If I don’t get the job my personal development will benefit also because I will have learned something from my experience.
The Boogie Man will have you afraid to move forward, try new things and learn new things. He will halt your personal development, leave you stagnant at best and will most likely cause you to wilt away. Stop looking for the Boogie Man and start seeing the opportunities in all things that will give you the chance to become better.