Full transcript of this talk here: http://karenmcgrane.com/2014/01/10/i-suck-and-so-do-you/ “Good enough” sounds like a cop-out. There’s always a way to be better, another brass ring to grab for, another level to beat. Our desire to improve has a darker flip side: self-doubt and self-criticism. We’re never good enough. We find an outlet for our negativity in our work. The internet has always been a sprawling, chaotic mess, our processes and tools feel broken, and we’re surrounded by people making foolish and incompetent decisions. What a relief to finally take the pressure off ourselves and point the finger at someone else’s mistakes! What a relief to put our energies into fixing something! Funny thing about change, though. It works a lot better if it comes from a place of kindness than from judgement. Having compassion for our clients, colleagues, and co-workers has to come from within—it starts by having compassion for ourselves.

1. I SUCK!
and so do you!

2. I’m lying.

7. I don’t believe a word
I’m saying.

8. Especially about the
Klout score.

9. where all the women are strong,
all the men are good looking, and
all the children are above average

10. THE ONLY THING I’M BETTER AT
THAN YOU
is telling myself I suck.

15. YOU’RE
WRONG.
YOU LIKE ME,
RIGHT?

16. I’M SMARTER
THAN YOU.
PLEASE
VALIDATE ME.

18. NO WIN SITUATION

19. The reason we struggle with
insecurity is because we compare
our behind-the-scenes with
everyone else’s highlight reel.
—Steve Furtick

20. AWESOME BOOK
CAREER SUCCESS
WORLD TRAVEL
PROJECT FAILURE
TEAM LOSSES
RELATIONSHIP WTF

23. BREAKDOWN

26. ACTUAL
HUMAN
BEING
Messy,
Flawed Gross,Right?

28. My kid is sick.
I’m depressed.
Someone died.
I have cancer.
I’m getting divorced.
I lost my job.

29. EVERYONE HAS SOMETHING.

30. IT’S ONLY HUMAN.

35. Don’t be so hard on yourself!

36. expectations
anxiety
the fuck-it pointstanding ovation
TED talk
child conceived during talk
named after me
no one laughs
no one cries
no one confuses me with
Barry White

37. YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO
THINK YOU’RE GOOD ENOUGH.

38. YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO BE
KIND TO YOURSELF.

40. DEFENSIVE PROJECTING

41. YOU CAN’T FEEL COMPASSION
IF YOU’RE DEFENSIVE.

43. EVERYTHING WE DO IS
CHANGE MANAGEMENT.

44. — Douglas Coupland
Twenty-first-century life is karaoke —
a never-ending attempt to maintain
dignity while a jumble of data
uncontrollably blips across a screen.

45. CHANGE MANAGEMENT =
COMPASSION

49. Technical External InternalTechnical External Internal

50. EXTERNAL VALIDATION

51. INTERNAL VALIDATION

52. Our deepest fear is not that we
are inadequate. Our deepest fear
is that we are powerful beyond
measure. It is our light, not our
darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, “Who am I to
be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,
fabulous?” Actually, who are
you not to be? Your playing
small does not serve the world.

53. There is nothing enlightened
about shrinking so that other
people won't feel insecure
around you. We are all meant
to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest
the glory that is within us. It's
not just in some of us; it's in
everyone.

54. And as we let our own light
shine, we unconsciously give
other people permission to do
the same.
As we are liberated from our
own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.
— Marianne Willamson

55. YOU’RE AWESOME!
and so am I!