King's Delights, Day 6

Beyond the socks

Donn King discovered a book by poet Ross Gay entitled The Book of Delights. It has inspired him to post a daily thought sparked by noticing something (or some things) delightful, thereby fostering joy. May it inspire you to notice also.

1: I figured out how to put on compression socks

This may not seem like a big deal, but I took delight in it because it turned out to be so simple. I had struggled with this for months. As I've gotten older, I've had a lot more problem with my feet and ankles swelling. It would take longer for me to get my socks on that it took to do all the other "get ready for the day" stuff, and when I finished I was exhausted. It finally occurred to me to do what everybody else in the world does these days: I searched on YouTube. I found a treasure trove of videos breaking the process down. (If you're curious, here is one of the best I found.) It made so much sense and made it simple. The delight comes in the simplicity.

2: I talked with Jason Jang

This was the highlight of the day. Jason is so impressive! I met him through Bob Burg's "The Go-Giver Success Alliance," and realized we were in a similar place in life. We set up a half-hour time to Zoom together and wound up talking for nearly 90 minutes! Here's the thing that struck me about Jason: he is highly accomplished, a world traveler who has knocked out the basic life skill of learning things quickly (he speaks nine languages!), has built successful businesses, has emigrated more than once, but who considers himself a nobody. What?!? So this was a triple delight. The first delight was simply in having a conversation with this fantastically energetic, inspiring being! The second delight.....

3: Jason demonstrated the human truth of .... not imposter syndrome, but I can't think of a better word

Imposter syndrome involves fear of being discovered as a fraud, and Jason is too open for that. He seems to have mastered facing uncertainty and fear. Rather, he demonstrated a human trait that seems at the root of imposter syndrome, i.e., comparing your insides to everyone else's outsides. We know our own weaknesses and failings, but we generally only see other people's successes. Our outstanding qualities are simply "normal" to ourselves. As a result, I suspect most people underestimate their strengths and overestimate their shortcomings. If someone as outstanding as Jason can see himself as a "nobody," all of us should take encouragement from that and not beat ourselves up so badly.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are people so lacking in self-awareness that they think they are the best, the best in the world, never been a better whatever, when they're really pretty much a waste of protein. But that's another topic.

4: Jason reflected some observations of strength back to me

I am no better at seeing myself the way others see me. Jason provided me a great favor in giving me feedback about strengths in a way I had not thought of before. There is much food for introspection here, and that is a true delight. Thank you, Jason!

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Donn King is The Confidence Cultivator. He is a professor of communication studies (which means “a professor of standing up in front of people and saying stuff”). He’s also a pastor, a speaker, a writer, and a communication coach. He works with professionals and leaders just like you who want to speak confidently so they can increase their impact, gain influence, and build their careers. Send email to donn at donnellking dot com if you would like to see if he could help you communicate with greater confidence.