Thanks for writing this Amber!
2 quick points on the “comparing oneself negatively/being star-struck” theme:
It is so easy to forget that sometimes we are the people that other people look up to in that way (“Ohhhh, it’s Amber Dawn, I see her comments so much on the Forum, she must really know a lot and be quite courageous, too”). It’s also worth remembering that as long as we only look upwards, there is always someone smarter/more experienced/more powerful, all the way up to that one person that gets to actually enjoy the conference without these nagging thoughts. Except, wait! Plot twist: They probably think that way about someone else at the conference.
Somewhat ironically, if you are someone who suffers from this, going to conferences can actually help! You’ll see Nobel prize winners lose their train of thought in a public speech. You’ll see billionaires tripping over their own feet. You’ll see CEOs ask students for directions to their speaker’s lounge. You’ll see if only briefly that they are also human, after all.
(or, in the slightly less elegant but undeniably more succinct words of a former colleague of mine: “These people sht and pss just like we do”)
I think there’s not much room between feeling “these people are more established / more put together / more employed than me” and feeling “oh no, people have so many expectations of me, don’t screw up!” from the people who are more established/funded etc. I’m sure there are people who are in some happy medium position, but I’m having trouble thinking of any off the top of my head!
Thanks for writing this Amber! 2 quick points on the “comparing oneself negatively/being star-struck” theme:
It is so easy to forget that sometimes we are the people that other people look up to in that way (“Ohhhh, it’s Amber Dawn, I see her comments so much on the Forum, she must really know a lot and be quite courageous, too”). It’s also worth remembering that as long as we only look upwards, there is always someone smarter/more experienced/more powerful, all the way up to that one person that gets to actually enjoy the conference without these nagging thoughts. Except, wait! Plot twist: They probably think that way about someone else at the conference.
Somewhat ironically, if you are someone who suffers from this, going to conferences can actually help! You’ll see Nobel prize winners lose their train of thought in a public speech. You’ll see billionaires tripping over their own feet. You’ll see CEOs ask students for directions to their speaker’s lounge. You’ll see if only briefly that they are also human, after all.
(or, in the slightly less elegant but undeniably more succinct words of a former colleague of mine: “These people sht and pss just like we do”)
I think there’s not much room between feeling “these people are more established / more put together / more employed than me” and feeling “oh no, people have so many expectations of me, don’t screw up!” from the people who are more established/funded etc. I’m sure there are people who are in some happy medium position, but I’m having trouble thinking of any off the top of my head!