OH, SNAP!

Today, I made a mistake at work. And it stung. And I immediately thought, "OH, SNAP"! Was it the end of the world? No. But it was still a noticeable error. Moreover, one of our team members immediately recognized it, sent a group message, and we immediately began discussing what our next steps were.

For starters, it was, without a doubt, MY mistake and oversight. It hit me in the gut because I am very type A with my work. Not because I think I should be perfect—but simply because I truly value who I am and what I do. Nevertheless, I owned it, took full responsibility, and immediately began to rectify the situation.

And yet again, God used the scenario for my good. (Like he tends to do, meaning he uses my everyday life happenings to speak to me)

My overall takeaway: When you’re truly confident in who YOU are, your only desire is to execute your calling/job well. Additionally, in doing that, you must be open/receptive to constructive feedback. My team got me right quickly, and we ROCKED it out/fixed the issues asap!

But think about it like this… what if my ‘heart’ stopped pumping because it had an ‘issue’ with my face? What would happen? Yeah, you guessed it… my whole body would die. One thing I’ve learned over the course of my life is this: you are operating at your BEST when you are fully confident in the fact that what you have been called to do matters, and it doesn’t just ‘matter’ for you; it matters for everyone connected to you. I know we hear this all the time, but it’s very disheartening & unfortunate to see so many failing to embrace who they truly are. Or, when they do embrace their authentic self, they often believe the lie that it’s not ‘good’ enough. Or they reject the help that God sends because it isn’t packaged the way they envisioned it being packaged. Or they neglect the process of perfecting certain areas of their life because they are too focused on what someone is doing—and how they are doing it. Hence, we have a worldwide identity crisis of individuals neglecting or half doing what they’ve been called to do—simply because they fail to see the true value that they bring. Professionally, I create and develop content for a major University (along with the many other things I am honored to do for the University). I also have a branding & consulting company; Additionally, I speak, write, edit, develop strategic communication strategies, help others build their brand, consult, create graphics, build presentations, audit high-level content, etc. My job is extremely important. It is an essential piece to the overall success and brand reputation of the University I work for—and for the clients, I work with in my personal small business. I also cook, but only for my family. Because honestly, I do not like cooking. I cook because we must eat. Therefore, I have enough sense to know that I am NOT the person to call for your large catering needs. That would be my mother, my mother-in-love, some of my good friends who run their own catering businesses, etc. My point? A puzzle isn’t a complete, full picture without all the right pieces in the ‘right’ places. If one piece is missing and/or misplaced, the entire thing is incomplete. To that end, my prayer for this year (and beyond) has been, “Lord use me for the PURPOSE, you made me.” Granted, I will help where I can, but I don’t want just to be “the help” …I want to operate in the specific area God created for me! And guess what? We NEED YOU in your rightful place too! YOU matter! Your piece to the puzzle matters! Stop dimming your significance simply because it doesn’t look and operate like the others. Stop self-sabotaging because of fear, low self-worth, jealousy (yep, I said it), unforgiveness, envy, and the like. Support the others; push the others; pray for the others; assist the others. But do NOT leave your piece out. Without YOU in full force, the whole thing is incomplete!

This year will not magically be what you want it to be…YOU must position your heart, mind, body, and soul! YOU must do the work…and not just ‘any’ work, do the work GOD graced YOU to do! Now let's GO! Let’s get it!

Canena Adams, MA, BSW, SRAS

Internal Communications Coordinator at

The University of Tennessee

Wife | Mother | Writer | Author | Public Speaker | Social Worker | Business Owner | Nonprofit Founder & Director | Sexual Risk Avoidance Specialist | Healthy Family & Relationship Advocate | Blogger | Podcaster | Adjunct College Prof. | PhD Student