Losing embarrassing baggage

I'm on the move again today with a very tight schedule and colleagues in tow, so no meetup. I was planning on contacting a few potential locals who may have been able to swing it, however I can't guarantee I will be anywhere at any particular time. Perhaps next trip it will be manageable. Hopefully I can have more than a single night.

This is not my carryon. It is the bag of an elderly gentleman who was sitting nearby on the short skip flight to Helsinki. It reminded me of one of the first time I travelled and used a suitcase that belonged to my father originally; a brown, 1960s, vinyl thing that closed with a buckle strap. I remember being embarrassed.

It is funny what jogs our memories and while it feels like it, I believe there is no real random thought, they all have a catalyst of some kind. A smell, a sound, a feeling or an image that evokes a reaction, a mental search and discovery that gets processed into consciousness.

How much of what we think is ours?

I was talking with a colleague about abilities yesterday, and how much of the ownership is unknowable to us. Can we actually pick our core personality or the drive required to push ourselves to learn? How much of our demeanor can we affect?

Some people have a sunny disposition, some are negative, some are never happy, some are predispositioned for overreaction. You?

While we have greater or lesser bases, I do think that we are able to affect our behaviors and outcomes, even if it means "faking" it. We are able to learn new strengths and compensate for our weaknesses as long as we can identify what they are. We are unlikely to have strength in all necessary factors to be successful at what we aim to accomplish, but that doesn't mean we can't close gaps through self development.

Often we use the natural gaps as excuses as to why we can't do something, "if only I was..." but that is a bit of a cop-out as even if the odds are against us, the potential to attempt it is always there. I guess what holds us back the most is the fear of failure and the loss of face that may come publicly. The embarrassment.

Ever thought how many opportunities we may miss because we didn't want to face potential embarrassment?

At least when I was young, I am near certain I missed a great deal of experience that I would have likely benefited from and loved, but didn't do. I might assume that is part of growing up, but it may not be.

It could very well be that someone's ability to be embarrassed is a born trait, and some people do not suffer from it as readily. This means that they could be more willing to try and fail and in so doing, develop a broader or deeper range of skills that would provide compounding future possibilities.

A lot of what we value in our person is largely out of our control, some completely. I have always found it weird that people are proud of their skin colour or IQ, as if it is a skill they acquired through hard work.

Oooh...

Talking of being reminded.

Time for the next flight.

Taraz
[ a Steem original ]