Why the instinctive negativity? Combatting our hardwiring…

Four weeks ago today was my first day at 50 Degrees, and I was nervous. I was nervous the night before, nervous the morning of, and especially nervous during my first commute. But, being fresh out of university, I was told by those around me that fearing the unknown is a ‘very common and very human’ feeling. In this way my nerves were validated – and probably even exaggerated.  

Lo and behold, there really was nothing to be scared of. I was immediately met by an exceptionally welcoming team, a rather excited golden retriever, and about 16 Krispy Kremes. And funnily enough, as Lucy (2021 Grad Recruit extraordinaire) said in her first Blog last year, my introductions to bid writing and bid life cycles were extremely reminiscent of my essay writing experiences and skills.

I started with another graduate, Kesiah, and we were given a two-week research task. At the end of the two weeks, we presented our findings to the team. Much to my surprise, by the time the presentations came around I was so familiar with everyone that the presentation lacked the formality I was anticipating – and that’s coming from someone who really isn’t too confident when it comes to public speaking.

Now, four weeks later, the fact that my mindset was instinctively negative bugs me. I really had no need to automatically fear starting something new. This has gotten me thinking, why is fearing the unknown such a widely accepted phenomenon? Because, fundamentally, if you are fearing the unknown – you really are fearing something with absolutely no evidence that there is something to fear. You are simply, instinctively, expecting the worst. Our instincts tell us a lot about our internal workings and our unconscious thoughts, and I want to combat this mental hardwiring of mine.

Surely, it makes more sense to be excited about the unknown. Especially in the context of starting full-time employment for the first time. First of all, you have been hired – which is a pretty good indication that you are well suited to the environment you are entering. Second of all, starting a new job IS exciting! You are about to meet so many new people AND put your skills and passions to good use, with a real purpose, and with real-life impacts (not that university essays are quite part of a non-real parallel universe).

Upon reflection, had I of converted a lot of that nervous energy into excited energy, I really would have saved myself a lot of grief. Sure, a small amount of nerves is fine and to be expected. But what I have taken away from this experience, is that excited energy is much more productive than nervous energy, and a lot less draining.

As you may be able to tell, starting as a consultant as 50 Degrees has taught me a lot, aside from around 37 acronyms (and counting). It has also taught me that some fears are nothing but wasted energy, and I think that lesson might serve me well.

Charlotte dos Remedios