I recently faced one of "those moments" when asked if I would consider sharing my Scholar’s journey at The Marketing Academy Showcase.

As the question was directed my way I felt fear sweep through my body at the thought of standing on a stage in front of the best marketing minds in the country, stammering through my sentences knowing that every person in the crowd could likely take my spot and share insights that people actually wanted to hear.

I imagined sniggers from the back row and comments connected to the ever-present tall poppy with people questioning why someone so “under qualified” would be taking time away from seasoned experts who could be standing in my place.

But then I paused and it clicked.

I was not being asked to stand on stage because I was the best person for the job, but rather because I was the right person for the moment and the ask was simply “it’s your turn, it’s probably going to hurt, it will definitely be a little scary, but you can impact this moment - can we count on you to step up?” And so here we are, I’m in.

It feels like a major step forward (despite being a little terrified), but also makes me wonder why I’ve held back so many times before. Throughout my career despite having chances to stand on a stage I’ve struggled to put up my hand, almost convincing myself that letting others take the spotlight is what humility looks like, but I now realise this has become a convenient place to hide.

At some point in life you have to pick yourself. It’s one of the many lessons I learned through the Marketing Academy and discovered time and time again how critical this is to personal growth when meeting with mentors of the program.

Each of these leaders had faced moments where opportunities beckoned that were a significant stretch at the time but despite all the reasons they could say no, they took a leap and never looked back. The same has been true of the defining moments in my own career.

In 2016, I led the Run India project with ultra-marathon athlete Samantha Gash running 3300km across India to explore the barrier to education for children raising significant funds for World Vision projects and changing lives in the process.

Despite it seeming a smooth success to the outside world, for every day of the two year project I faced the strange reality that I was in miles over my head and yet also aware that I was the right person for the job (it was my turn)...and whilst it was an honour to be chosen and I’m so glad I said yes to the challenge, boy did I take some hits. I now know how necessary that mix is to truly grow as a professional.

The story was similar when asked to lead the launch of a new $600m innovation precinct at the University of Melbourne. It was a challenge of a scale and complexity that would make someone crazy to give me that responsibility and yet I also knew that in reality I was as capable as anyone who could take my place.

In both cases I’d do so many things differently if given those opportunities again, but it’s only now I understand that perfection isn’t the purpose despite being what holds most people back from saying yes. Rather the goal is to stretch beyond what we’re capable of and step into the fear knowing this might not work but doing it anyway.

Being in the right position is only the first step, it’s the next one that matters.

So I’m determined to stop waiting and convincing myself that the moment requires the “perfect person” for the “perfect moment” and rather recognise that in this game when it’s our turn to go (we should go!) and all anyone is asking of us is to give it our best shot, face the fear, take the hit and get up afterwards.

Afterall, the harder the hit the more people will offer a hand to lift you up on the other side.

It’s for that reason I will be standing on the stage at the Showcase and I can’t wait to see you on the other side of the show.

And sport is the best analogy to encapsulate. Any person who has stepped onto the sporting field has heard the phrase “when it’s your turn to go, you go!”

For each individual this will mean something slightly different but in my experience it loosely translates to “you’re the closest to the contest, you’re probably about to get hurt, but we need you to give it everything you have because you’re the only person who can have an impact on this moment.” When it’s dissected this way it certainly doesn’t sound appealing and yet despite every player dreading the inevitable pain that’s coming, somehow, nearly all find a way to face the fear and run towards it anyway.

Some even run harder. Why?

It’s hard to know exactly, but I believe it’s because those who’ve faced the fear regularly realise that in this moment what is being tested has nothing to do with capability and everything to do with courage and character. Put simply…it’s about ticker.

What is asked of us is not to become anything more than what we are, but rather it’s a challenge to draw on everything we have and simply give it our best shot, in spite of what lies ahead.

So it raises a question. How often do we hold something back for fear that we’re not the right person?

How often in life do we step aside from opportunities because we believe someone else is better suited and undermine our own capabilities whilst putting others on a pedestal, refusing to step forward despite others believing we are the best person for the moment?

How easy most of us slip into this tendency. But for all the reasons outlined above, easy is no longer so easy.