Howdy friend,

This week I got news from two jobs I applied to in late December that I have made it to the next round of the application process.

My initial response was excitement.

Pretty quickly that turned into fear.

Not of getting turned down for round three, but of actually getting the jobs.

Am I good enough?

If hired, will they see right through me in my first week?

See, what happened wasn't that I started feeling a different emotion. What happened was that my perspective shifted.

Fear and excitement create the same response in our bodies. It is our minds that make the distinction between the two.

Instead of seeing this as an opportunity to succeed, I became overwhelmed with the possibility of failure.

Regardless of which word I use (fear/excitement), all the sensations are the same: restless, high energy, shakes, racing thoughts.

But seeing this as an opportunity, I believe, is still a mistake. Believing I was good enough to apply was the hard part, and that's over.

Having made it to the second round is already a success.

Thank you for allowing me to share part of my journey with you.

Regards,

Nick

(1/5) Writing Prompt: Write about a time when you took a risk. Forget about the result. Focus on the risk and the feelings associated with taking such risk. Any length.