Almost everyone knows that Saturday Night Live skit where the self-help guy does the positive self-talk thing.  As I prepare for a (possible) interview for a position at work, I find my self repeating this little mantra, and cringing at myself every time I do it.

 
The thing about being “a man without letters” is that to succeed you have to have the self-confidence to let people know what you think and what you are about.  This is the hardest part of being a MWOL; you have to have just enough bravado to be heard and not so much that people think you are a blow hard with no credentials.

 
I’ll be posting a few sound bites from my interview prep here on the blog, mostly to get feed back from my very, very few readers, but also because the things that I’ve been writing may have relevance to someone out there.  I believe them.  I try really hard to live them.  That bravado simply could not happen if I didn’t actually believe what I am saying.

 
So while I brainstorm on ways to communicate my suitability for this job, I would like to make the most of the opportunity for self-reflection.  As I look at the projects and things that I have done over the years, I am trying to generate some real positive self-talk. 

 
Here are some examples of positive self-talk that I can recite with confidence:

 
I have the political acuity to properly deal with any situation that may come up.

 
I am agile enough to deal with any hard/dumb ass comments or opinions that come my way from Ministers to pEng’s.

 
I can proactively identify issues and problems and head them off before they become serious.

 
I can learn and adapt faster and more quickly than the average bear.

 
OK, forget that last one; you get my meaning.