“We are whiplashed between…” (Great Work quote)
“We are whiplashed between an arrogant overestimation of ourselves and a servile underestimation of ourselves.”
~ Parker Palmer
We puff ourselves up, certain we’re better than others. (Where’s the data for that judgment?)
We undermine ourselves, water on rock, wearing ourselves down. (Where’s the data for that judgment?)
Where does this quote take you?
- “Inspiration is for amateurs. The rest of us…” (Great Work quote)
- “just better than I was yesterday…” (Great Work quote)
- “…scar tissue all over my body…” (Great Work quote)
- “You don’t learn by your mistakes…” (Great Work quote)
- “Doing a straight-forward, clear-cut task that has…” (Great Work quote)
Posted in self-management
Tagged arrogance, questions, quotes, resilience, self-image
This reminds me of the best teachings I took from a workshop at my local Buddhist meditation center that concentrated on the second noble truth of Buddhism, that all suffering originates from emotional attachment. We either are afraid we don’t matter so we call for attention, or we’re afraid of rejection, so we hide ourselves. The workshop made it to me how much I was swinging between those extremes with little in between. As a solo-entrepreneur who has to put myself out there to market myself, I was throwing myself out to the public, but immediately running away from it, thinking “please don’t hurt me and think what I have to offer is worthless.” Being aware of this behavior and mental construct made me feel more balanced and brought peace, joy, and good stuff to my work and personal health.
Thanks for sharing the quote!