"To be great, you need to endure not being great."
Someone said that to me once.
It was like a punch in the gut.
I got flashes of all the times fear led to inaction:
“You should organize a client event.”
What if no one comes?
“You should speak at this conference.”
What if my message doesn’t land?
“You should put out more content.”
What if people don’t like it?
My ego doesn’t like making mistakes.
It wants to “get it right” every time.
And impress the people around me.
It’s embarrassing to admit that, but it’s true.
I call it “clinging to competence.”
It still keeps me playing small.
I know it.
