Musings On Ambition, Courage, Fear, and Timidity

Being ambitious is EASY.

Backing up that ambition with execution and results is NOT.

It feels good to say that you will do something great.

It is challenging to actually follow through with your promises of performance.

Now that I am here in the Philippines, my ambition is being put to the test.

The rubber is meeting the road, so to speak.

Leading up to this trip, I told myself (and everyone else) over and over:

• I will learn the language.

• I will create great content.

• I will make a positive impact.

And although I am certainly making progress, I have this constant feeling that I am not doing enough to fulfill on those three promises to myself.

What is preventing me from shifting into that higher gear is unwarranted fear.

• Fear that I might say the wrong thing.

• Fear that I will fail.

• Fear that I might offend someone.

These fears are unwarranted, but they still exist.

I think that the way to overcome those fears is through courage.

Courage is what allows you to override your fears.

I’ve dealt with too much timidity since I got here to the Philippines.

And it has handicapped my ability to follow through on the promises that I’ve made to myself.

There is a great deal of leveling up that I need to do.

The current version of myself is inadequate for the goals that I have.

So I have two choices…

1. Face my fears and level up.

2. Start thinking smaller to avoid discomfort.

Should I shrink my goals and thinking smaller, just because I am afraid of making myself uncomfortable?

Nope.

That means that the only thing to do in a situation like this is to level up.

It is time for me to be brave.

-Cliff