The fear of looking foolish can quietly distort judgement. The moment protecting your image becomes the priority, you start choosing what looks defensible rather than what might actually help you grow.
Real freedom is when embarrassment no longer gets a veto over the person you’re trying to become.
I'm gathering courage to tell my employer that my current job doesn't fit me. I'll probably disappoint him and that bothers me. But I'm going to tell him anyway because I believe I can get something better. So this is a very timely post, thank you. The 'bothering' actually lifted a little.
When I became an entrepreneur about 14 years ago, people used to come to me with the business they wanted to start. They would share ideas and seek my interest in partnering up, which I quickly learned not to provide; when pressed on their ability to take action, they would step back. Some of them wouldn’t know how to share it with their partner or their parents. So when you write that change will require uncomfortable conversations and hard work, I think of the conversation some of them didn’t know how to start: the one at home.
It's helpful to remember that everyone else has the same fears too. That often gives me the confidence I need to strike up a conversation with someone new. We are all awkward little entities trying to exist in the world.
The fear of looking foolish can quietly distort judgement. The moment protecting your image becomes the priority, you start choosing what looks defensible rather than what might actually help you grow.
Real freedom is when embarrassment no longer gets a veto over the person you’re trying to become.
I'm gathering courage to tell my employer that my current job doesn't fit me. I'll probably disappoint him and that bothers me. But I'm going to tell him anyway because I believe I can get something better. So this is a very timely post, thank you. The 'bothering' actually lifted a little.
When I became an entrepreneur about 14 years ago, people used to come to me with the business they wanted to start. They would share ideas and seek my interest in partnering up, which I quickly learned not to provide; when pressed on their ability to take action, they would step back. Some of them wouldn’t know how to share it with their partner or their parents. So when you write that change will require uncomfortable conversations and hard work, I think of the conversation some of them didn’t know how to start: the one at home.
It's helpful to remember that everyone else has the same fears too. That often gives me the confidence I need to strike up a conversation with someone new. We are all awkward little entities trying to exist in the world.
Sometimes the freedom to look foolish is exactly what gives us the courage to grow, learn, and become who we’re meant to be.”