Working Up

by Dwayne Phillips

History is filled with great accomplishments accomplished by people who shouldn’t be able to accomplish them. While not accomplishing great accomplishments, I find that I was almost always under qualified.

I read history. Some would tell me that I read and reread too much history. One item I read repeatedly is someone is chosen to or pushed into an endeavor for which they are (seemingly) under qualified. After some time, these under-qualified persons achieve beyond all reasonable expectations.

Perhaps the expect-ors, i.e., those who expect these people to fail, are simply miserable at expecting or predicting the future. The great majority of us fail at predicting the future.

Perhaps the under-qualified persons don’t understand their lack of qualifications. Perhaps they accept the challenge with an “Oh yeah? I’ll show you!” attitude. Ambition is an amazing thing.

Another amazing thing is confidence instilled by a chooser of the under qualified. “I am choosing you to accomplish this as we all need this accomplished, so go accomplish it.”

Me? Yes, you. You CAN do it.

But I am under qualified to inspire the under qualified to accomplish what seemingly they cannot accomplish.

I think we are back at the beginning. Under qualified? Go accomplish it anyway.