Self-perception in your career

When you’re so caught up in the hustle and bustle of your career, sometimes it’s difficult to figure out if your self-perception matches how others perceive you.

Photo by Arnel Hasanovic on Unsplash

Have you ever been so caught up in the hustle and bustle of your career that you forget to take a step back and see, firstly, how far you’ve come and, secondly, how you may be perceived by others?

Well, I’m 100% guilty of this, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I can’t remember the last time I paid attention to what others in my industry were doing because, for a long time, I have been so focused on my own career and self-growth.

Don’t get me wrong. I used to have those times where I looked at what others were doing in my industry for a little too long, which led me to question my own position and how far I’ve come. I don’t remember exactly when that turning point came for me, but I don't really care because I’m just glad that it did come. I realized that the only way I was going to move forward, get better, and grow in anything I put my mind to was if I fully focused on it without comparing myself to others around me. It’s for this very reason that when someone tells me I’m doing well and starts talking about my accomplishments, I’m always so surprised. I’m surprised because it makes me stop and appreciate how far I’ve come and humbles me that someone else has noticed without me having to boast about my own achievements.

Ultimately, it’s going to make anyone feel good if someone tells you that they believe you are doing very well in your career. I usually take this as a sign that I’m on the right track and that even though I may not always see my own small steps of growth, it doesn’t mean you’re not moving forward and getting better. Sometimes it takes someone else telling you how far you’ve come for you to realize that you are well on your way to reaping the rewards of your consistency and hard work.

A few days ago, I attended the Sephora press event, which I always attend every year as it has to be one of my favorite events of the year. They usually take over a warehouse and convert it into a one-stop shop for the majority of the beauty brands you see within Sephora. It’s a great way for someone in my position as a beauty content creator to network with brands and also learn more about up-and-coming products. Without fail, I bump into so many people that I haven’t seen for a while, and it’s always nice to catch up with them.

Let me fill you in on something before I continue telling you how this event was for me. I started my beauty YouTube channel around 2 years ago, and I never anticipated it growing as quickly as it has. In under two years, I’ve gone from zero subscribers to nearly 450,000 subscribers, most of whom are US-based. It’s pretty mind-blowing to me that so many people follow my channel for the educational content I put out. When I visited the Sephora event last year, I remember thinking maybe it will take a while for people locally here in Dubai to learn about the fact that I have an educational beauty channel, and I guess I thought this because the majority of my subscribers are from the US. I had the odd person here and there say to me that they’ve seen I’ve started a YouTube channel, but by the end of the event, it was clear to me that even though I was doing so well with my exposure to the US market, people still haven’t caught onto my channel over here. I’m not the kind of person to boast about my achievements or anything that I may be working on, so when someone else comes to me and initiates a conversation about what I do for a living and clearly knows more than I expect them to know, I’m pleasantly surprised, and it gives me a good understanding of how I’m perceived when it comes to my career.

Let’s fast forward to this year‘s event. I would say roughly 90% of the people I spoke to at this event brought up my YouTube channel and how much they loved the content. It was so nice to hear that the channel is becoming more well-known in my local market, and it made me realize that sometimes all it takes is for a stranger to congratulate you for you to realize how far you’ve come. I pride myself on ensuring that my content is mostly educational rather than random tutorials, so what gave me more satisfaction was hearing people tell me about how they feel my videos have improved their own makeup application and skills.

It’s all good to be well-known in general, but what really makes it worthwhile is knowing that you’ve made a difference. I regularly get comments on my YouTube channel from global subscribers talking about how my educational content has given them so much more confidence in themselves, and this for me is my biggest achievement. Knowing that you’ve made someone feel better about themselves and given them some kind of confidence is a good feeling, and I wouldn’t even notice if it weren’t for those very people letting me know in the comments section.

We all have a general perception of ourselves, but it more than likely differs from how other people perceive us. Either you’re not giving yourself enough credit or sometimes you think you’re way ahead of what you actually are. Either way, it’s so important to listen to people around you who are willingly giving you their opinion or perception of you. It gives you a clear understanding of how well you’re doing and how far off you are from your goal.

If you’ve been consistently working away and wondering if you’ve made any headway at all, cut yourself some slack, as you may just need to stop and listen to the people around you to give you that extra bit of motivation to continue on your journey. If you happen to be that person who analyzes others in your industry a little too much, to the point where you start comparing yourself to them, then please remember that there is nothing to compare. You are on your own journey, which is what makes you unique.

If you start comparing yourself to others, just remember that they started at a different time than you, had different circumstances, knew different people, and are on their own journey. You’re less likely to see their struggles and more likely to see their achievements online. I hope the next time you find yourself doing this, you remember that there’s someone out there looking at you as inspiration.