Not sure why...
But as I sit on my balcony tonight, I can't stop thinking about a very nervous stewardess I once witnessed on a flight to Atlanta.
Her voice was shakey as she read the pre-departure regulations over the intercom from a piece of paper; clearly indicating she was fresh on the job since she hadn't memorized them yet. She made many mistakes when reading from the paper, and each time she made a mistake, she was painfully aware that all of the passengers heard her blunders. Once airborne, it actually seemed as if she was afraid of flying. She was also the only stewardess on the plane- which added to the pressure, anxiety, and fear she clearly felt. It seemed that she was on the verge of a nervous meltdown.
I remember watching her from my seat.... and I felt so sorry for her. I could just feel her fear and how hard she was trying to push through it without bursting into tears. I knew what that kind of fear and pressure felt like. The last thing on my mind was "oh wow, she is making so many mistakes... she really stinks as a flight attendant." I saw how much she was trying, even though she was afraid, and it made me want her to suceed and feel like a pro.
It was a short flight, and towards the end of it, I could tell that she started to feel more comfortable doing her job. I got a kick out of the fact that she spent most of the flight preparing trays holding little plastic cups of ice cold water... and by the time she started passing them out, we were starting to descend (this is typically the time that beverages and trash are collected, not passed out). She barely kept her balance as she tried to pass out the cups without spilling, and then collect them moments later after she realized it was time for her to get back in her seat.
Once we landed and started to de-plane, I said to her on my way out, "excellent service." She gave me a nervous, surprised smile and said thank you. I wanted to tell her to hang in there and that in no time she's going to get it.
That was perhaps one year ago... and tonight as I sat on my balcony, I thought about her and smiled at the fact that either she is a pro by now, and has those regulations memorized like the back of her hand- or, she realized that being a flight attendant is not for her, and she's off to new ventures. Either way- she won, because she tried, regardless of her insecurities.
Most importantly, after remembering the stewardess, I contemplated the likelihood that when we truly make an effort with something, even though we are afraid, other people care more about seeing us succeed than labeling us as failures.
