“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” — Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo!

Ladies of the 2015 graduating class – pay attention! You’re about to embark on a journey that is completely foreign to you. As you start your jobs, you will inherently have moments of self-doubt. You will be assigned a project and have this moment of internal panic where you think to yourself,  “I have absolutely no clue how to do this.”

Your male counterparts will feel the same hesitation, but they will probably approach the situation differently. They will act as though they are fully capable, diving into the project and figuring it out along the way, and this will take them far.

You must learn not to shy away from a challenge. It’s natural to doubt yourself, but don’t let your insecurities scare you away from the perfect growth opportunity. I’m not promoting that you falsely claim capabilities and skills that you actually lack, but rather that you learn to embrace these moments of panic and consider them to be the most opportune times for growth and advancement.

If you’re presented with an assignment that intimidates you, go for it! I promise you, it will be worth it.