My daily Caribbean calendar has this quote today: "Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. The picture is of two people snorkeling in crystal-clear turquoise waters, just offshore from a white-sand beach. Kinda like the above picture of me, Jack, and another fellow-snorkeler in Stingray City. A couple folks stayed back on the boat and took the liberty of capturing the moment for us. I have always been struck by Emerson's transcendental philosophies. At first, it was probably because "transcendental" made me sound cool when I was talking about it to my high school friends at parties. My English class studied these concepts from mid-19th century American Literature. Then I realized the truth in this philosophy, where we can literally transcend some of the daily baggage with which we live.
For instance, I've been reading a lot on confidence lately. I'm trying to get over the fears and insecurities that have been built into my head during the way. While it's practical to "fake it 'til ya make it," confidence-wise, there's a deeper element to confidence. In regard to speaking up in meetings, in class, or even trying something new, I realized that everyone has some fear on the inside. Everyone's afraid of looking like a doofus at one time or another. When I started to speak up and voice my opinions in meetings and classes, my thoughts came out mostly-coherent. Sometimes I babble like a clown. I think it's one of those practice-makes-perfect things.
I'm off to go rollerblading; it's morally offensive to be inside today!
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