Give Your Career A Buzz With These 5 Hacks!

Sim Ngezahayo

Are you an introvert? Watch this! Somebody once told me, “I am an introvert, so I don’t feel comfortable attending networking meetings!” That’s totally fair. I am an introvert too. And the reason I am in your inbox now, I feel like something is holding you back. Let's dig it out of the way!

The first time I did my presentation in front of my classmates in high school, I instantly felt sweaty and fainty. Plus, I forgot everything I had on my mind to share. Does that sound familiar?

I had something more special in me – it was a desire, a passion, a wish. I didn’t want to stay that way! That’s right. Therefore, I did everything ever since to shun that hindrance. I wanted something sassier. I wanted to shine. I wanted to be a superstar.

Don’t get me wrong. You don’t have to shun your introvertness to succeed, but you need to get rid of whatever is getting in the way of maximizing your full potential. Against all odds. In my case, my introvertness and my beliefs about it were getting in the way. Ready to explore my 5 hacks? Let’s dive in.

Be Yourself

For a while, I made the mistake of not owning who I was. Maybe the same happened to you as well. Well, I ultimately realized that I needed to be myself if I really wanted to unlock my full potential. The reason being is that you will always be you. You can change your predicament into success, but you must be you first. Until you embrace yourself, your options are blinded and limited.

The worst nuisance I have ever observed eating into people’s potential is comparison. When you measure your scores on somebody else’s scoreboard, you will never keep track of the right score. Your actual score is best counted through the lens of who you are, what you got, how well you’re using it, and what progress or impact you are making.

I mean, how old are you? When did you start this side hustle you’re juggling? You name it. Everybody starts somewhere, at a certain time, with different resources. There’s no way you can match somebody else’s itinerary, even though you were their twin. Therefore, stop comparing yourself to them!

Listen to Your Weak Instincts

Look before you leap, like an old saying goes. It’s good to know your weaknesses. That would give you an opportunity to work on them and focus on your strengths.

One of my favorite principles in leadership coaching is to focus on a friendly eye. There are many people who will never understand your vision as much as you do. So, it would be a waste of time to talk to them about what the heck you’re passionate about.

Those people who see potential in you, cheer you up, and encourage you to be more, surround yourself with them.

The One Thing You Need―“Passion”

Are you passionate about something? Be it little or big, that’s all you need. Turn it into a vision. There are many reasons you may be feeling less or not confident at all. That’s normal. But that feeling shouldn’t be there to stay.

This statement by Derek Sivers is becoming famous: Obvious to you. Amazing to others. Extracted from his book, “Hell Yeah or No”, Sivers demonstrates that everybody’s ideas seem obvious to them but seem genius to other people. Of course, we all know what we know. But how do others know what you know before you can tell or show them? Get that passion out of the box!

You Have Value. Deliver it!

When I grew up farming coffee with my family in Africa, I didn’t know that would be something to be proud of. A farmer? I wasn’t impressed at all. Who would be? That’s exactly what Sivers was saying above. I didn’t know the value of my coffee farming background until I knew.

In the Spring of 2023, I went to a retail conference in Winnipeg. It had been hosted by FCC―a Canada-wide farm credit institution. One of the speakers had come from Halifax while the second one was someone I had known for a while. She was a neighbor. They both were talking about how to best maximize retail opportunities.

When the latter spotted me among the attendees, she walked up to me and asked if she could use my business Thousand Hills Coffee? Canada as a case study, because “my background story was amazing”, she said. I was shocked. Her point was that if you start a business with a strong story, your chances of success are higher. That’s how my background in farming went down in history.

Ever since, I started educating people about organic coffee and the benefits of drinking it versus just any coffee. Everybody wants to know that, especially in a country such as Canada where there is no such activity. They want to hear that story over and over. I even use it to pitch retail stores and expand my markets.

What do you have to offer? It can be as little as background in farming. Even though it sounds so obvious or of less value to you, you could be a connoisseur or an expert somewhere else.

Skyrocket Your Momentum

Have you found your strong point yet? Don’t stop. Time to start is now. Build on just that and keep rocking. It’s easy to have two ideas when you already have one. But it’s never been easy to come up with your first idea. That’s why it’s always hard to start out. To lay the foundation. For something as big as what you want to accomplish.

Imagine yourself in 5 years! If you act on your instinct now, your success would be fivefold bigger. But if you don’t, you will be the same. I seize any opportunities that come my way. I make them into a book, blog post, or a topic for my next speaking event.

Let me ask you. What are you passionate about? And how well are you acquainted with that topic? All the experts started here. With something little. But they were passionate about making that thing big. It’s time to skyrocket that momentum.

Questions? Let’s chat. You can book a meeting with me at www.simngezahayo.com .

Cheers, ~ Sim Ngezahayo — Author, Entrepreneur, Business Executive, Multilingual Specialist

That’s me, and more. Who the heck is Sim Ngezahayo anyway? Read all about me on my site at SimNgezahayo Official

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