Fail to Succeed
July 19, 2008
I had a stimulating conversation the other day with someone I’ve recently made acquaintence with, but immediately came to respect and admire. Almost bordering on awe. I’m entirely truthful in my sentiment because hey, his superiority does not diminish my own accomplishments or talents. I get a tremendous amount of pleasure from telling others when they touch me (not that kind of ‘touch’!). The well-delivered presentation by the woman with an obvious talent for engaging a crowd. The delightful way a kind coworker services the analytics-challenged with a self-deprecating smile. The obvious thrill one gal feels when she wears a beautiful new skirt on a glorious spring day). I love giving compliments and sharing words of admiration for others.
During this conversation with Mr. Smart Guy (I mean that in the most flattering of senses, Bob), he made a comment about how an upcoming event might provide him with an opportunity to engage a group on a very “now” topic, or how that same opportunity might just reveal him to be a fraud if he didn’t do his prep work.
Holy cripes, I thought it was only me who worried about falling flat on my face. Certainly not Mr. Accomplished. But his revelation made me think about innate fears and vulnerbilities we all have, and how glorious it would be if we could all just let it hang out. No laughs, no snickers or surprised faces, no wrinkled noses or involuntary cringing. What a wonderful place – home or work, school or church – it would be if we all felt comfortable enough to say, “I didn’t know what to do when. . .” or “I didn’t know how to start my. . .”.
Summoning all of my courage (or course, inspired by this one guy), I’ll go first. Here goes. I’m afraid I might someday run into someone with as much drive and determination as me. And it scares the hell out of me, for that’s where I hang my hat (we’ve already established I’m not the smartest gal in the room, previous post).
Got to run (sorry to leave you hanging!) – my chariot won’t wait for long (aka, my husband is impatient).
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized. Tags: Competition, Fear, Success, Vulnerbility.
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1. Connie | July 21, 2008 at 11:06 pm
thought I was probably the one you were describing until I got to the point where it was a guy….oh well, maybe next time. Just shoot me, we have returned home from 5 days in Chicago doing all the tourist things….yep, 7 people in a minivan and they are all still alive….I deserve a friggin medal!
2. Sabra Fiala | July 24, 2008 at 1:32 pm
I confess I thought it might be me as well. :0) Thinking about vulnerabilities, I recently presented at a conference with 300+ attendees. It is by far, the most terrifying experience for me – but only for the first minute. I look at the crowd, I can’t breathe, my vision gets blurry, and somehow making a complete fool of myself by passing out on the floor (crumbling in a skirt is not pretty) is my choice rather than going on. But, I always get over it and within minutes I I’m at the top of my game. I’m so comfortable when the attention is on me and I’d like to think I thrive in that instance. It’s the lowest and highest point all within 60 seconds. I had a lot of time to think about it yesterday as it took me about six hours to get back from Chicago (traffic was hell)….maybe you have to reach into the depth of your fear and embrace it and like I boomerang the opposiite exponentially arises? Hmmmm, how existential? So, there you go – my biggest fear hanging out in all its glory.