Where’s My Slip?
When I was a kid, you needed a permission slip for everything: school trips, sports events, even leaving campus at lunchtime. No slip, no entry. That idea sticks with you. You don’t get to move unless someone in authority signs off.
The problem is, most of us carry that mentality into adulthood. We wait for someone to sign off on our next chapter. We wait for managers, diplomas, or society to tell us we’re “qualified” to start something new.
But reinvention doesn’t come with a slip. Nobody is going to hand you one.
And if you’re raised in a culture where the script is especially rigid, like France, where diplomas are everything, the wait can last a lifetime.
The Problem: The Trap of External Validation
Here’s the reality: waiting for permission to reinvent yourself is a trap.
- In France, credentials are destiny. OECD research shows that nearly 70% of French jobs require specific formal diplomas, one of the highest rates in Europe. In the U.S., by comparison, fewer than 30% of jobs are diploma-gated.
- Business schools in the 1990s weren’t building entrepreneurs. They were producing obedient, disciplined employees. Back then, the idea wasn’t “create your own company.” It was “fit into an existing one.” I know, I was there.
- The culture of conformity runs deep. A 2020 Eurobarometer survey found that French employees are among the least likely in the EU to believe they can become self-employed. Why? The unspoken belief: “Without the right papers, you can’t.”
And here’s what’s worse: ADHD brains like mine often internalize this doubly hard. We already struggle with impostor syndrome and rejection sensitivity. Add a diploma-obsessed culture, and you start believing your story isn’t valid until it’s rubber-stamped.
Personal Anecdote: The French Catch-22
When I graduated, I quickly discovered the unwritten rule: no diploma, no shot. You could be brilliant, inventive, visionary, but if your CV didn’t have the right stamp, doors stayed closed.
I remember sitting in interviews, feeling like the panel wasn’t listening to me but to the line on my résumé. My ideas were fresh, my perspective unique. But they weren’t interested. The diploma didn’t match.
It was maddening. Like being stuck outside a theater, pressing my face against the glass, watching actors on stage performing lines I knew I could deliver better, but nobody would hand me the script.
That was my first taste of the permission slip problem. Reinvention wasn’t an option unless someone “signed” my legitimacy.
Framework: Permission Slips Don’t Exist
Here’s what I’ve learned: permission slips for reinvention don’t exist. They’re cultural fictions.
The only slip that matters is the one you write for yourself.
And yet, culturally, we’re conditioned to believe otherwise. In France, the phrase “il faut le diplôme” (“you need the diploma”) is a mantra. In Japan, shikaku shakai (“qualification society”) plays a similar role. In the U.S., it’s more about networks and alma maters. Different costumes, same trap.
The point is: nobody will give you the slip. If you want reinvention, you have to forge it yourself.
Data: Why Reinvention Matters
The case for reinvention isn’t just personal, it’s economic.
- A 2022 World Economic Forum report found that 50% of all employees worldwide will need reskilling by 2025 due to automation and changing roles. Waiting for permission is not just unhelpful, it’s career suicide.
- Gallup data shows that people who see their jobs as aligned with their strengths are 6x more engaged and 3x more likely to report life satisfaction.
- Yet, according to a French labor ministry survey, only 27% of French workers feel encouraged to pursue retraining or reinvention. In other words, 3 out of 4 are stuck in scripts they never wrote.
The numbers prove it: the world demands reinvention, but culture still conditions us to wait for slips that will never arrive.
The Shift: Writing My Own Slip
The turning point came when I stopped waiting. I literally wrote myself a permission slip. On a scrap of paper, I scribbled:
“I, Arthur, give myself permission to reinvent my life.”
Sounds silly. But it was symbolic. That piece of paper was my rebellion against the cultural script.
From that moment on, I stopped asking for approval to pivot. I moved from sales into design. From design into storytelling. From storytelling into creative direction. Each time, I didn’t wait for diplomas or managers. I signed my own slip.
And guess what? Nobody stopped me. The doors I thought were locked weren’t locked at all. They just required the courage to push.
Actionable Takeaways
If you’re waiting for your own slip, here’s how to stop:
Write It Down.
Literally. Put pen to paper: “I give myself permission to ____.” It’s symbolic, but symbols matter.
Challenge the Cultural Script.
Ask: “Is this barrier real, or is it cultural conditioning?” 70% of the time, it’s the latter.
Start Small. Take micro-steps.
Publish one article. Prototype one design. Run one workshop. Action beats approval.
Redefine Legitimacy.
In today’s economy, portfolios often matter more than diplomas. Show the work, not the paperwork.
Surround Yourself with Builders.
Find communities (online or off) where reinvention is celebrated, not doubted.
Conclusion: Sign It Yourself
Here’s the truth: no one is coming with a clipboard. No one is going to say, “Here’s your slip, go reinvent yourself.”
If you want to change, you have to sign it yourself.
And yes, it feels terrifying. Especially if you grew up in a culture that told you otherwise. Especially if you carry ADHD self-doubt that whispers you’re not legitimate. But the cost of waiting is too high.
Because life is too short to keep living someone else’s story just because you’re afraid to forge your own signature.
