I've been doing this career thing for a long time now, and one of the things I've learned over the years is that your gut is usually trying to tell you something. That little voice in your head that tells you something feels right, something feels off, or that maybe you should think twice before making a decision. I've learned to trust that voice, and the older I get, the more I realize that it's usually coming from somewhere. It's coming from experience, mistakes, successes, failures, and all of the things I've been through over the years.
But I've also learned that sometimes your gut can get in your way. Sometimes that little voice isn't telling you something is wrong. It's telling you something is unfamiliar, and there's a pretty big difference between the two. Just because something feels uncomfortable doesn't mean it's a bad idea. Sometimes it means you're about to do something you've never done before, and your brain is trying to convince you to go back to doing the things you already know how to do.
Think about how much of your career is built on experience. You've spent years learning how to navigate people, situations, decisions, and challenges. You've figured out what works, what doesn't, and what you would never do again. That's valuable stuff. You should absolutely lean into it. But the danger is when you start believing that because you've done something a certain way for the last ten years, that's the way it should always be done. That's when experience starts turning into stubbornness, and nobody needs another stubborn person in a conference room telling everyone how things used to work.
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I'm experiencing this firsthand right now. I'm in a new industry, learning new technology, working with new people, and being exposed to different ways of doing things. There are moments when my experience tells me exactly what I think we should do, and there are other moments when I realize I have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about. It's a humbling experience to have spent nearly two decades leading teams and then find yourself asking questions that probably sound ridiculous to someone who's been in the industry for five years. But that's the deal. You don't get to learn something new while pretending you already know everything.
I think one of the biggest mistakes people make in their careers is confusing confidence with certainty. Confidence is believing you can figure something out. Certainty is believing you've already figured it out. Those are two very different things. You can have all the confidence in the world and still be willing to admit that somebody else might have a better idea, a different approach, or a solution you've never considered. In fact, I'd argue that's what makes someone really good at what they do.
Confidence is believing you can figure something out. Certainty is believing you've already figured it out.
There are going to be times when you have to trust your instincts and stand your ground. Maybe you've seen a situation play out before, and you recognize the warning signs. Maybe you've worked with enough people to know when something isn't adding up. Maybe you've made a mistake earlier in your career that you have no interest in repeating. That's where experience earns its value. But there are also going to be times when someone suggests something that makes you uncomfortable simply because it's different. Your job is to figure out which one you're dealing with before you shut it down.
I've always believed that growth comes from putting yourself in situations where you're forced to learn. You don't get better by spending your entire career doing the same things with the same people in the same environment. You get better by challenging what you think you know, trying things that might fail, and occasionally realizing that the way you've been doing something for the last decade wasn't nearly as brilliant as you thought it was. That's a tough pill to swallow, especially when you've got a little gray hair and a resume full of accomplishments.
So here's something worth thinking about. The next time you're presented with an opportunity, a new idea, a different process, or a career decision that makes you uncomfortable, ask yourself why. Is there a legitimate reason you don't think it's going to work? Are you seeing something your experience has taught you to recognize? Or are you simply uncomfortable because you're being asked to step outside of what you know? Be willing to have that conversation with yourself. You might be surprised how often the answer is that you're just afraid of being a beginner again.
Your experience is one of the most valuable things you have, but it shouldn't become the thing that limits what you're willing to experience next. Trust your gut. Listen to your intuition. Take everything you've learned along the way and use it to make better decisions. Just remember that the version of you who got you here doesn't necessarily know everything the next version of you needs to learn. Sometimes the smartest thing you can do is trust yourself enough to try something you've never done before.