What does putting yourself out there even mean?

By Reyam Jamaleddine, April 17 2024— 

Apparently, putting yourself out there is the solution to all your problems. Whether it be finding a relationship, making new friends or even within the professional and academic realm. Just put yourself out there, consistently, is what I have heard from friends. This phrase is a registered solution for the problems we face. But what does it even mean? 

Strictly speaking, to put oneself out there is to be visible to other people, present in social settings and have the ability and desire to communicate with society. Even with this technical definition, the broadness and over-encompassing nature of it does not make it the solution to our problems. 

The reality is that putting yourself out there is to be visible to other people regardless of how they might perceive you, or the opinions and assumptions they make about you. Being present in social situations means facing anxiety, insecurity and lack of self-confidence. Similarly, having the ability and desire to communicate with society means having the knowledge that not everyone wants to be your friend and you also won’t want to be friends with everyone. 

Putting yourself out there is a requirement of being a journalist. It is your display of information that has been curated for the trusting public to view. Being a young woman in journalism requires stepping into a male-dominated space and that means writing insecurity must transform into the meticulous selection of words on a page, being mindful not to provoke backlash or scrutiny, regardless of whether the words printed on the page are fact. Being a young woman in journalism means navigating through inner and external challenges with resilience and determination, despite the outcomes that may exist. Being a young woman in journalism means having a platform to speak, have an opinion, know the facts and voice them — and that is something most women will never have in their lifetimes.

So ultimately, establishing oneself in society is not the ultimate goal or solution, it is the roadmap to the tools and navigational skills one can have under the belt in the pursuit of a better future. It’s about honing one’s abilities, resilience and adaptability to overcome the challenges that are faced on the road. Each challenge, setback and failure is an opportunity for growth and that includes every young woman who puts themselves out there in fields where the challenges defeat stability.  

We can not only carve our paths for success, but we can also pave the way for a more empowered future. So as women continue to push boundaries and break barriers we can create a world where every voice is heard and matters. Through the words on the page and facts in print, these voices confirm that every opportunity is within reach, just put yourself out there and see for yourself.

This article is a part of our Voices section and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Gauntlet editorial board.