Hey, Friends! Did I borrow a line from my picture book for this title? Yes, yes I did. What can I say? Not Quite Snow White opened a lot of doors for me (from the Scholastic Book Fair to Disney). But, I’ll let you in on a little secret. None of that has made me immune from feeling intimidated.
Every year, for the past seven years, I’ve participated in a reading event that the AKAs in our community put on. It’s always well-received. Groups of children get to hear stories read aloud and meet the authors and illustrators that poured their hearts into them. Each year I’m invited. Each year, I am absolutely intimidated by the other creatives that they bring in. Even though I am on the same creative road, it never fails that I wonder how I’m a part of the lineup. I feel small amongst giants.
It’s like the time I was driving home–minding my business–and there was a rabbit in the road. Of course, I stopped. To my surprise, the rabbit didn’t move. I scooched up. The rabbit stood up taller. I was on the phone with my mom and said, “I think I’m getting punked by a rabbit.” Even after I blew the horn, the rabbit didn’t budge. I want to tell y’all that I won this standoff, but I didn’t. I ended up driving around it. When I looked in my rearview mirror, that unshakable rabbit was still there.
Here’s the lesson I learned from the rabbit: You’re only as small as you allow yourself to feel.
It didn’t matter that I was in a car honking and moving closer. The rabbit stood its ground with unshakable faith and confidence beyond its actual size. We were on the same road, but that rabbit was confident in who it was and its purpose. My size and my presence were not a factor in how it governed itself.
I never thought I’d be getting life advice from a rabbit on the road, but here we are. What accolades those other authors and illustrators have don’t take away from the accomplishments that I have. This is something I had to remind myself of this week. I went into a full spiral because it seemed like everyone with a byline was announcing their books in the Obama Library but me. A chat with my spouse in which he validated my feelings (while also questioning how what they have going on has anything to do with me) and the memory of this rabbit changed my whole perspective.
Instead of feeling intimidated or like I’m not good enough, I’m channeling that into working harder at my craft and trying to be more consistent with it. I’m putting my energy into the things that I can control. I’m rerouting intimidation to professional motivation.
Have you ever been in a professional space in which you felt intimidated? What did you do?
If it happens again, I hope that instead of being intimidated, you choose to be like the rabbit.
Leave a comment here or on one of my social media channels: Facebook, Instagram, X, BlueSky, or LinkedIn. Let’s see where the conversation takes us. Also, there’s a picture of the rabbit in my gallery. Until next Sunday…
-Ash