Fear of Flying

Hi, All!

How are you? 😊

I’m getting ready to fly out of Amsterdam tomorrow. By the time you get this letter, I’ll be two days into my web development training in Toulouse.

The tension inside me is slowly building up. And while I try to keep it at bay, I can’t help but catch myself overthinking.

Will my mentor and I get along? Will I learn quickly enough? What if I disappoint them all? What if I disappoint myself?

There is freedom waiting for you,
On the breezes of the sky,
And you ask “What if I fall?”
Oh but my darling,
What if you fly?
–Erin Hanson

The teachings of the books that I recently read, and the ones that I’m reading now, appear as echoes through the worries in my mind. They’re keeping me patient, objective, and kind to myself.

From Mastery by Robert Greene (finished), I distill that my focus shouldn’t be on me, or my mentor—let alone the politics between us. What matters is the work in front of me. The study. The rare opportunity to learn from someone far more experienced than I am. All I need to do, all that is expected of me, is to put in the effort and observe.

At the same time, The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman (currently listening) keeps reminding me that worrying about the future is pointless and that I’m in control of my thoughts. I can choose to put the ones that don’t serve me well aside, or I can swap them out for other, more heartening ones.

What if I fly?

Words

This month, I added the following finished reads to the post Read 100 Business Books:

You’ll find my favorite quotes, lessons learned, cheeky facts, and a bit more on the blog.

Talk soon!

With much love,
Mirha
🎈