“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”
— Viktor E. Frankl, Man’s Search for Meaning
I almost did not apply for the promotion. I spent two weeks talking myself out of it. Not experienced enough. Wrong timing. My manager probably already had someone in mind. I finally sent the application around 11 p.m. on the last day, half hoping no one would notice.
I did not get it. For a while, I used that as proof that I had been right to hesitate. But then I started noticing how much energy I was burning just dreading things before they even happened. Every meeting, every project handoff, every time I had to speak up, I had already played out the worst-case version in my head at least five times.