If you’ve ever had an idea, maybe for a business, or a poem, or a painting, I’ll bet a little voice inside you piped up and said something along the lines of “you’re not good enough,” “it’s not a good idea,” or “someone else is, can, or will be doing it better.”

If you have any hope of developing as an entrepreneur, artist, or even research scientist, you’d better find a way to ignore that voice. 

I had to ignore that voice recently. The other day I shared a new book idea with a friend of mine. Like my design brand it’s based around happiness and the pursuit of it, but I’m still working out exactly what I have to say. This very well-meaning friend responded with “won’t you be competing with the likes of Paul Brodie?” I immediately said “yeah, I know” and thought of so many other people I admire in the “happiness” marketplace – Gretchen Rubin, Matthieu Ricard… not to mention the Dalai Lama. I felt myself retreat as if everything on happiness has already been said. What could I possibly contribute? How could I possibly compete with those smart, established voices?

The next day, lingering in a hot shower and chewing on those words, something inside of me rose up in indignation. Not against my friend, but against myself. What the heck was I doing retreating? 

I DO have something to say, and something to contribute (and so do you)! And the amazing, wonderful thing is that *it’s not a competition*!
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In case you missed that, let me say it again: IT’S NOT A COMPETITION. No one has all the answers. No one speaks in the same voice as anyone else. And because we all bring something different to the table, there is room for everyone to contribute. IT’S A CONTRIBUTION. If we stop thinking of everything in terms of competing and winning, then there is room for everyone to add to the conversation. That said, thinking in terms of contribution takes belief in yourself that extends beyond getting famous, or being an “Instagram Influencer.” To contribute effectively means putting the message, not the marketing, first. It means that you have to trust that if you practice your talent, and develop your voice, that it will find a home. You don’t start by asking yourself “how am I going to monetize this.”

When we contribute, we can’t be attached to the outcome. Just like when we send money to the Red Cross, or put a tithe in the basket at church, we do it with faith. We have faith that what we’ve contributed will reach who it needs to reach, without us controlling the path. The same is true when we create. Whether you are an artist contributing your talent to the world, a biologist contributing your knowledge to the world, or a writer contribution your thoughts to the world, you do it with faith. 

So when you hear the voice in your head (or the voice of a well-meaning friend) telling you that you’ll be competing with your heroes, smile and tell them there is nothing to worry about! Because you know that you are not competing with them at all. Instead, you’ll be pulling up a chair at the table and contributing right alongside the wonderful Paul Brodies and Gretchen Rubens and Dalai Lamas of the world. And while it won’t guarantee you fame and fortune, you can have confidence that what you have to contribute is of value, and the right people will resonate with your work.

Will you join me at the table?