As a junior product owner, I face countless struggles—moments of shame, guilt, and painful experiences that test my confidence. But no matter what challenges arise, I keep moving forward. Through these experiences, I’ve developed a mindset that helps me tackle any struggle I’ll face in the future.
Here’s what I’ve learned: If I truly give myself time and effort for something I’m struggling with, it will eventually turn out great somehow, someway.
What I struggle
At first, I felt completely lost and ashamed that I couldn’t help my team effectively. But instead of giving up, I decided to give myself what I needed most: time and patience.
I spent an entire night studying at my own pace, no matter how slow I was to grasp the requirements and limitations. I researched SEO fundamentals, read through technical documentation, and worked to understand the constraints our engineers were facing. Then I channeled that understanding into a detailed product requirements document and clear user stories.
Let me share a story that illustrates this principle. I once struggled with planning a feature release that involved SEO optimization. As the product owner, I was working closely with our SEO marketer and engineering team, and it quickly became one of my most challenging tasks. The problem? I didn’t understand anything about SEO or the technical development constraints.
The next day, everything clicked. I could explain the requirements clearly and answer all the team’s questions smoothly. What had seemed impossible the day before suddenly became manageable.
What I learned
This experience taught me something powerful: no matter how painful or overwhelming a struggle feels in the moment, I know how to handle it. The solution isn’t to feel bad about yourself and give up—it’s to just invest time and effort to understanding the challenge while being lost.
The key is simple: give yourself time, put in the effort, and trust the process. It might not happen immediately, but somehow, someway, things work out.