Afraid of Being Afraid: Motivation for the Next Step

On Mondays, I write about motivation as inspiration for myself and to share about myself and my website. I am honored and inspired that many writers and travelers continue to share their personal stories in my ten Travel Writing Awards on We Said Go Travel.

For the past month, I have written more about my battles to believe that I can make this website into something great. In Malcolm Gladwell’s “David and Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits, and the Art of Battling Giants,” he talks about “what happens when ordinary people confront giants…Should I play by the rules or follow my own instincts? Shall I persevere or give up? Should I strike back or forgive?”

This is what I have been wondering. Is it worth it? How do you know? Last Sunday at ceramics class, the instructor told the students who asked how do you know when you are done centering, “When you are done, you are done.” No one else can tell you. I have really been pondering this phrase and the quote above from Gladwell.

Should I pitch more articles? Make more videos? Add more ads? Change the format? Play by the rules? Strike Back? Forgive? “When you are done, you are done.”

I am watching the national political conventions and thinking about the upcoming Olympics, all of these people are convinced they CAN do it. Win the gold medal or be the next president. However, they cannot all win. They cannot all come home with gold. But, there is room for We Said Go Travel to grow. It does not need a medal or a title. It just is. There is space.

And, as we know, David did beat the giant, as Gladwell tells us: “David came running toward Goliath, powered by courage and faith…He was an underdog and a misfit, and that gave him the freedom to try things no one else even dreamt of.”

I wonder what would happen if I just decided to go for it as if I was working towards a gold medal in the Olympics or running for president. Where could We Said Go Travel end up? As I write this, the site is ranked 104,683 for USA Alexa which means it is nearly in the top 100,000 of all sites in the USA according to Alexa. By Similar Web, it is #22,122 in travel sites. Maybe things are going better than I realize.

I have focused this year on video. In December 2014, I had 320 videos with 580 subscribers and 280,000 views. In December 2015, I had 400 videos live on YouTube. As of today, there are 540 videos, over 1050 subscribers, and nearly 465,000 views on YouTube. With my video views on other platforms, I have over 650,000 views! By October for my birthday, I hope to have 3/4 of a million video views! Maybe I am doing just fine.

I like what Gladwell writes about courage:

“Courage is not something that you already have that makes you brave when the tough times start. Courage is what you earn when you’ve been through the tough times and you discover they aren’t so tough after all.”

This summer I stopped believing in myself again. It has not been good. I have been through tough times and I am strong. I need to remind myself that I can do it. I am doing it. Things are growing and changing for the better. I believe in myself and in We Said Go Travel. Thank you for reading and participating and being there for me. I am grateful.

I want to remember that I am a brave rebel and I can do it. We can do it together. I do not need to be president or take home a gold medal. I need to just take the next step and then the one after that. That is the only way forward.

I want to remember what Gladwell says about fear:

“We are all of us not merely liable to fear, we are also prone to be afraid of being afraid, and the conquering of fear produces exhilaration.…The contrast between the previous apprehension and the present relief and feeling of security promotes a self-confidence that is the very father and mother of courage.

I hope you will have a courageous August! Lisa

I wanted to share videos about icons who created their own way and are being remembered for their choices. In May at The Beverly Hills Hotel, I was invited to preview the recently renovated bungalows. Bungalow #5 is in decorated in the style and in honor of Frank Sinatra. Bungalow #22 is where Elizabeth Taylor spent 6 of her 8 honeymoons.

Video: Bungalow #5 Frank Sinatra at The Beverly Hills Hotel