So I was scrolling through YouTube last night when this Tatiana Bedoya interview popped up. Figured why not, clicked play while brewing coffee. Damn, she dropped some truth bombs about climbing the career ladder.
The Morning Experiment Disaster
First thing today? Tried her “mirror pep talk” thing. Stood in my bathroom staring at sleep-deprived-me at 6:30AM. Cleared my throat like an idiot. “Uh… you’re… competent?” Felt like a bad actor in a soap opera. Gave up after 48 seconds. Coffee machine hummed louder than my “confidence.”
Then I grabbed my notebook – the one with toothpaste stains from last week. Wrote down her big three:
- Stop waiting for permission (boss still hasn’t replied to my Slack from Tuesday)
- Own your screw-ups (remember that spreadsheet fiasco?)
- Talk like you belong (I whisper apologies when entering meetings)
The Office Train Wreck
Took “stop waiting” literally. Charged into Dave’s cubicle pre-coffee. “We need automated reports!” My voice cracked. Dave blinked slowly like a lizard. Turns out accounting already had that system… for six months. Mortified. Drank vending machine coffee that tasted like regret.
During lunch break, practiced “talking like I belong” to Janice from HR. Leaned against the microwave. “Metrics indicate…” – beep interrupted me. “Your Hot Pocket’s done,” she said. So much for executive presence.
The Tiny Victory
Finally owned a screw-up though! Sent client proposal with upside-down graphs. Instead of panicking? Shot a quick email: “My bad – reversed the data like a doofus. Fixed version attached.” Added Tatiana’s line: “Lesson learned.” Client replied “happens to the best of us” WITH A SMILEY FACE. Minor miracle.
Reflecting tonight? Tatiana’s smart but executing this stuff feels like juggling chainsaws. Might stick with owning mistakes first. Still suck at mirror talks though. That bathroom mirror’s judging me hard.