I recently watched The Dig on Netflix,
The story about an archaeological discovery in England during World War II.
The protagonist and excavator,
Mr.
Brown,
Is hired by Mrs.
Pretty on a hunch that there's something special on her land.
Mr.
Brown calls himself an excavator because he doesn't have a degree in archaeology.
He dropped out of school when he was 12 and,
Through apprenticeship with his father,
Learned everything about soil and the art of excavating.
He has great love and care for his work and his energy is infectious.
After some missteps,
Mr.
Brown breaks ground on what looks to be a 900-year-old Anglo-Saxon ship.
It's the discovery of a lifetime and in the career of Mr.
Brown,
Akin to Einstein discovering E equals MC square.
Of course,
In all good stories and lives,
A problem occurs that tests Mr.
Brown's resolve.
After his finding gets around,
The official archaeologists of England come and forcibly take over the project.
They discredit Mr.
Brown because he has no archaeology degree.
Mr.
Brown is then offered a subservient position on the crew but is too angry and disheartened to accept.
He instead leaves the job altogether.
In a calmer mind,
Mr.
Brown realizes that even though he's no longer in control,
He didn't get into his work for status.
He digs because he loves it and because it's important for future generations to know where they came from.
So he swallows his pride and returns.
He proves to be invaluable,
Bringing a unique insight and intuition others didn't possess.
What can we learn from this story?
Passion matters more than degree.
When I say passion,
I mean the heart,
Energy and intention you do things with.
In essence,
It's your caring.
We connect more with someone who cares than someone who knows.
Mr.
Brown knew as much as the snob from the British Museum,
But his love and caring are what set him apart.
The system and business of schooling trained us to think that we can't make an impact without a degree.
This conditioned us to always look for permission from some higher entity.
This causes many to hesitate and outsource their worth rather than cultivating it from within.
Another thing we,
Or at least I,
Learned from school is that we're there to get through it.
Even if we're not passionate about what we're studying,
We memorize so we can ace the test to get the degree to get the job.
Yet true learning comes from interest.
We live in an age where information is abundant.
We can watch YouTube videos,
Take master classes and follow our real interests.
More people are pursuing their curiosities and making an impact than ever before,
Without an expensive permission slip.
Don't let a degree or certification stop you from pursuing what you love.
Yes,
Imposter syndrome will be there,
But trust me,
It will still be there when you have the degree.
I'm not saying don't get certified.
If you want to be a doctor,
Go to med school.
If you're going to teach in any respectable yoga studio,
Get an RYT.
If you're in a field that requires a certain level of prerequisites,
Do them.
Learn what you need to learn.
But don't confuse your credential with how you do things.
Don't hide behind the next training because you think you don't have something valuable to share now.
Experience is the best teacher.
A piece of paper won't ever make you feel worthy.
Only you can do that.
Like Mr.
Brown,
Once we give ourselves permission to show up with a full-hearted intention,
We can get on to doing the real work,
Serving others and making an impact.
I hope this helps you stop waiting and get out there.
We need you.
Sending you so much love and support on your journey.
As always,
Please let me know what you thought of this little talk and if you'd like to see more little talks here.
Appreciate you and Namaste.
