I’ve found myself gently nudging people to remove the word “just” when they’re explaining what they do or their achievements. For example, someone recently said to me: “I just have an undergraduate degree.” My reaction? Four plus years of grueling hard work minimized in this way is a travesty! Remove the word just and own the degree you accomplished. Yes, some people go on to do graduate degrees, but that in no way undermines the achievement and dedication of completing an undergraduate degree. Period.
Another example is “I’m just a stay-at-home parent.” How is raising the next generation of humans not as important as any other career? The patience, dedication, and emotional labor required of stay-at-home parents is commendable and should never be minimized.
The word “just” makes its way into our descriptions when we want to appear humble and downplay our contributions. Humility is a wonderful attribute, but when overused it can unintentionally reduce our confidence and minimize our contributions. What I call “justing yourself” downplays the skills, time, and effort involved in your achievements. In the workplace, it can impact how others perceive your expertise and can even work against your career advancement.
In my field of career psychology, our team at Canada Career Counselling works with many people who feel they have not accomplished what they set out to. They are hard on themselves and do not recognize their achievements. We help them to realize that achievements in career and life take all shapes and sizes, and when we take the time to think through our past, our achievements surface and can be acknowledged and appreciated.
My late father, Barry Hambley, whom I lost suddenly in 1997, only one week before finishing my undergraduate degree in psychology, gave me a framed copy of the Desiderata. I’ve included a photo below of this scroll that hangs proudly on my home office wall.
The Desiderata’s messages are timeless and good reminders of how we can navigate this tricky world. One of my favourite lines is “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” This is so true, and I see people using “just” when they are comparing to people they view as having achieved more than themselves. The thing is, you never know the full story of anyone’s struggles and achievements. Comparison is truly the thief of joy. Instead, appreciate who you are and what you’ve done, finding gratitude in even the small hurdles you’ve overcome. Focus on continuing to grow and evolve in whatever career or life path you have chosen.
Another line I appreciate in the Desiderata is “Keep interested in your career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.” No career should have “just” injected in front of it. “I’m just a janitor,” “I’m just a server,” or “I’m just a bus driver.” The world needs all these roles, and proudly owning whatever you do, and giving it your best, is what it’s all about.
To read the full Desiderata, see here: https://www.desiderata.com/desiderata.html (Max Ehrmann, 1927)
In sum, I recommend removing the word “just” to communicate with more confidence, to own your accomplishments, and to help others recognize your contributions. This pesky, four-letter word is a harmful one that takes time and effort to remove from our vocabulary but will increase your confidence and positively impact your career and life fulfillment.
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To learn more about confidence and career growth, check out episode 59 of my Where Work Meets Life™ podcast. In this episode, “Closing the Confidence Gap”, I speak with special guest Kelli Thompson, a women’s leadership coach and speaker. Kelli’s confidence and leadership insights align well with my career coaching knowledge, and our conversation provides a foundation from which to examine where our lack of confidence comes from.
Dr. Laura Hambley is a thought leader on Career and Workplace Psychology, passionate about career development. She founded Canada Career Counselling in 2009, however has specialized in career development since 1999 through her Master’s research and counselling in different settings, including outplacement and career transition firms in Alberta.
Dr. Laura learned early on that effective career planning enhances wellbeing, confidence, and clarity in one’s work and life. Combining the expertise of Psychology with Career Counselling is what she sought to do as she founded and evolved Canada Career Counselling from Calgary to Toronto, Victoria, and Halifax, providing Career Counselling and Career Coaching to thousands of clients over many years.
Dr. Laura enjoys her work as a Career Counsellor and Career Coach to professionals who are in mid- or senior stages of their career, helping them navigate complex career decisions and pivots. Her extensive experience as an Industrial/Organizational Psychologist, enables her to understand and address the challenges faced by individuals, leaders, teams, and organizational cultures. Having consulted to a wide range of organizations since the late 1990s, and becoming a future of work thought leader, has enabled her to help individuals and organizations navigate the latest trends impacting today’s organizations.
Dr. Laura fulfilled her dream of having her own podcast in 2020, called Where Work Meets Life™, where she interviews experts globally on topics around career fulfillment and thriving humans and organizations. She is a sought-after keynote speaker for organizations, associations, conferences, and events.
In addition to her Master’s in Counselling Psychology (1999), Laura holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology (2005) from the University of Calgary. She is a Registered Psychologist with the College of Alberta Psychologists, as well as a member of the Psychologists’ Association of Alberta and the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM). She also contributes to teaching, supervision, and research as an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at the University of Calgary.
For more resources, look into Dr. Laura’s organizations:
