For a long time, I didn't speak up when I knew an opportunity was for me. I didn't believe I was ready. What I didn't see then is that doing the thing is what would have gotten me ready.
If you've been overlooked for promotion at work, or watched the stage, the feature or the raise go to someone else, it's worth asking whether you've been hiding in plain sight.
Not ready? Doing the thing gets you ready
I'm going to a networking event this weekend where we could choose a five-minute spot to highlight ourselves. I took one. Someone I know who's going too didn't take a spot, and my first thought was, why? This is a perfect opportunity for you.
I didn't question it, and I'm not pinning anything on anyone. I noticed it because I've been there. Waiting until you feel ready can keep you waiting a long time, because readiness comes from doing.
Busy work is a good hiding place
When I was hiding, it looked like staying with the busy work. Admin stuff. Keeping productive, and not asking for the opportunities.
Busy work feels responsible, so nobody questions it, including you. Meanwhile the opportunities go to the people who ask. On Receptive Radio™, my guest Jennifer Thompson, Editor-in-Chief of I Am. Magazine International, put it this way:
"Being the best kept secret sounds very flattering... until you realize that the best kept secret never gets paid and never gets booked, never gets remembered. Your competitor isn't better than you, they're just louder."
Jennifer Thompson
Hiding shows up in your body
I've worked with people who have shown me they have a confidence issue, or that they're hiding, by covering their mouth while they tell me their story. They cover their mouth because they don't feel they should be saying it.
I notice it in myself too. Sometimes I rest my hand around my mouth.
"It's hard to see your face when you're covering it up."
Jennifer Sifert
That's what hiding costs. It costs you being remembered. If people can't see you, they can't remember you, and they can't think of you when the opportunity comes up.
How I built the muscle
What brought me out of hiding was deciding to start Receptive Radio™. I didn't wait until I felt ready. I put it on the calendar, and I created the consistency. Every Thursday, hell or high water, no matter how I feel. That's how I built the muscle of being visible.
If you've noticed yourself pulling back right when something good arrives, I wrote about that pattern in why high functioning people self-sabotage.
Daily practice makes you receptive to the room
When I've done my daily practice, I walk into a room or go live more open and receptive to the energy and the desire of the room. I'm more attuned to what people are ready to hear, so I can tune into it and say what they're ready to lean into.
That's what presence does for visibility. I wrote more about it in How Presence Becomes Authority.
It's also why I lead Life Force Activation™, and I've been leading it live for over three years.
Ready to stop hiding in plain sight?
You can try it for two weeks for $1.
Questions about being overlooked
Why do I keep getting overlooked for promotion at work?
You might be staying with the busy work and not asking for the opportunity. The opportunities go to the people who ask.
How do I know if I'm hiding in plain sight?
Notice when you choose admin over asking for the opportunity, when you wait until you feel ready, and when you cover your mouth while you tell your story.
How do I start being more visible?
Put it on the calendar and show up consistently. Doing the thing is what gets you ready.
Where are you still hiding in plain sight? Tell me in the comments.
