Being thrown under the bus is not something that gives me sleepless nights or undue worry.
I harbour no illusions or expectations that when faced with trouble there are very few who will stand by your side when you are under heavy enemy fire.
It's part of leadership - taking one for the team - is a motto I live by, even though at times taking one for the team is no insurance that you will have company when the difficult decisions have to be made.
In reality, many of the things we think that are hard facts aren't. They are half-truths, they are assumptions, they are misinterpretations, they are based on biases and at times deliberate and wilful plausible denial.
Like plenty of other things in our lives, we fail to act or procrastinate because our uncertainty comes from fear of being judged by others. We are afraid of what the group - the tribe - will think and the prospect of being criticised.
Greek philosopher Epictetus once said: "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."
Theodore Roosevelt made the point thus when he declared: "In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worse thing you can do is nothing."
Recently faced with a difficult situation that required a series of decisions, I reflected on the words of Roman historian Tacitus: "The desire for safety stands against every great and noble enterprise."
Over time life reveals to us that any time you are working to achieve something, you are going against the current. The people around you will say you can't do it, you are making a mistake, its impossible, you will fail. The more out-of-the-box your idea may be, the stronger the pushback.
People will always seek to make you question the journey but it's important to transcend the obstacles.
If you think about all of the things that have been created in human history that were once considered "impossible". Carl Jung's advice that: "You are what you do, not what you say you will do", can be inspirational.
T&T, Team TTO can achieve much more than we have done but we will continue to underachieve if we allow the fear of failure and uncertainty to guide our thoughts and actions.
Ten (10) or more Olympic gold medals by the year 2020, future is female, gender equality, creating a sustainable billion-dollar sports industry T&T by 2030, having a world-class national long-term athlete development programme, a governance culture that is best practice are all impossibles that can be possible.
Editor's Note:
Brian Lewis is the President of T&T Olympic Committee (TTOC) and the views expressed are not necessarily those of the organisation.
