Strategy is about making choices. So claimed my Strategy textbook this evening as I plowed through the readings that I feared would bring me an ulcer this semester. This resonated with me today. I had spent much of the last 24 hours in mid panic. My lungs in a vice. What was I doing here? What if they made a mistake? What if I let down my team? What if I couldn’t measure up?
The first shift this triggered in me was the recognition of something fundamental to how I behave, to how I perform. I fear being unprepared. I’ve always felt this way and have systematically attacked this by forcing myself to act outside my comfort zone, to not plan everything. Today I realized how strongly this transferred to my academic life and how, if I let it get the best of me, it could paralyze my true learning here, stall any risk taking before it even occurred. It will be something to let go of, to find balance with.
The second shift today was related directly back to my Strategy text. Strategy is about making choices. So is life. For the past few days I had been bargaining with myself about the strategy I would pursue for this challenging degree. Would I choose to be sub par – giving up before trying? Would I choose mediocrity, assuming I was middle of the pack and performing as such? Would I choose greatness? Leverage my talents, develop my strengths, sacrifice for the pursuit of a worthy cause? I had been told for years to choose greatness daily. I made excuses not to. It was exhausting. It wasn’t worth it. I didn’t know how. I couldn’t commit. Today, sitting in a crowed classroom with brilliant and inspiring people choosing greatness seemed to be the only option that made sense. The only path that would provide me with what I wanted to get from the program and more importantly what I want to contribute. So that’s it. I finally get what it feels like to choose.
No comments:
Post a Comment