Once a year, for the past four years or so, I come to Quebec City (which is certainly one of the most magical places in North America--yes, this is an advertising plug!) to interpret at a 2 hour meeting.
Once a year, for the past four years, I have felt utterly terrified. It's a high-level meeting and tends to be technical and we receive no information on the exact topic. Every year, there are vocabulary surprises. For the past three years, I have hired a very competent colleague here in Quebec City as my team mate.
This year, for the first time, I didn't feel absolutely out of control scared. Yes, we did get lobbed a few terminological bombs but we worked together as a team, helping each other out of some rather tight spots.
This is the first year that I haven't sat at the airport feeling like a total failure. I feel calm and good and boy, does it feel nice.
Last year, I posted after the same meeting, sitting here in the airport. I quoted Eleanor Roosevelt, and she's worth quoting again today:
"Do one thing every day that scares you."
Do you?