Don't stop believing... especially in yourself
- PG Geldenhuys
- Feb 4
- 2 min read
Updated: Feb 5
This week, I found myself standing on a stage in Sandton, delivering a keynote for one of South Africa’s best-known companies.
On paper, that shouldn’t feel strange anymore. I’ve spent most of this year working with large, listed businesses. I’ve built and led multiple mid-sized companies myself. I’ve been in enough boardrooms to know how this game works.
And yet… walking onto that stage, there was a quiet, familiar voice asking: Do you really belong here?
I work mostly with entrepreneurs and growing businesses. That’s my natural habitat. The energy is scrappy, curious, forgiving. Enterprise environments feel different. Sharper. More polished. More eyes. More judgement. It’s easy to forget that the thinking, the patterns, the leadership mechanics don’t magically change just because the logos are bigger.
What struck me afterwards wasn’t the size of the audience or the brand behind the invite. It was the realisation that I’ve been doing this consistently all year - and still, some part of me was waiting for permission to believe I’m good enough to be there.
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: I am very good at what I do. I know that intellectually. I can see it in the results, the feedback, and the repeat invitations. I can pump other people up without breaking a sweat. I can see their blind spots, name their strengths, and help them stand taller in their own story.
But telling my story confidently? That’s harder.
Maybe it’s cultural. That Afrikaner, Calvinistic wiring: don’t get too big for your boots, don’t be vain, keep your feet firmly on the ground. There’s a lot of virtue in that. Humility is a stabiliser. But left unchecked, it quietly mutates into self-editing. Into shrinking. Into letting other people decide how good you’re allowed to be.
The real cost of backing yourself publicly isn’t arrogance - it’s exposure. When you put your head above the parapet, you invite criticism. You invite disagreement. You invite failure in full view. Staying modest can sometimes just be a clever disguise for staying safe.
The keynote landed exceptionally well. High-powered room. Tough audience. Strong response. And that did something simple but important: it reminded me that a big win every now and again recalibrates the internal narrative. Not to inflate the ego, but to restore accuracy.
It’s not enough to be good. People need to know that you’re good. Not because you’re chasing validation, but because hiding your competence serves no one. Least of all you.
We all have our version of this. The role we secretly think we’re underqualified for. Walking into a room with a seemingly apologetic posture. The habit of amplifying others while muting ourselves.
PG’s Pro Tip:
Back yourself a little more than feels comfortable. Not loudly. Not arrogantly. Just honestly.
The world doesn’t need you smaller. It needs you to be accurate.
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