Do You Fear Failure?

We all have our comfort zone, you know, the bubble where we feel safe and secure.

Fear of the unknown is one of the biggest reason we are reluctant to try new things. We tell ourselves “everyone” is watching and we’ll surely look ridiculous trying something we’re not especially good at. We feel everything but brave and beat ourselves up because of it.

Trying something new IS intimidating, but stepping outside of our comfort zone can help build our confidence!

I recently met a woman in her late 70s who had gotten her pilot’s license in her 60s. Her husband owned a plane and she decided after years of watching him fly, she wanted to learn too. She took lessons, got her pilot’s license, and flew a plane. I was astounded. Crazy incredible.

What if instead of obsessing about what we know or don’t know and what could go terribly south, we try?

Growing up, my mom was not prone to entertaining. We had the occasional friend for dinner, but not much beyond that. As a young married, I was intrigued when we were invited into someone’s home just for fun. I enjoyed it so much and I thought hard about how I could do it too. I didn’t have a clue how to make it happen. I was nervous, intimidated, and afraid I would make mistakes. I imagined all the ways it would be awful and in my mind, there were dozens.

I started watching what others did, and little by little I began to venture out.

There were times it was messy and mistakes happened. Food didn’t turn out or a dish shattered in the oven. Incredibly, no one seemed to care and I began to LOVE gathering people around my table!

Today, hosting people in our home is one of my favorite things to do and rumor has it, our friends and family love coming! If I hadn’t tried something I was uncomfortable aka terrified with, we and so many others would have missed out on laughter, memories, and much good food. 

What if by doing new things, we discover we love painting, skydiving, running a marathon, traveling solo, or baking bread?

I have long been intrigued by the thought of joining an improv group and have gotten as far as looking up classes in my city. Maybe someday I will take the next step. It looks like so much fun. 

What if by learning something new and giving ourselves permission to be uncomfortable we find we are actually decent at this new thing?

I have a friend who leads a mastermind which I am a part of who will at times tell us to go do “mediocre work.” The first time I heard those words the perfectionist inside me was squirming… but the rest of me was doing cartwheels!  Do you mean it doesn’t have to be perfect and I have permission to simply try?

What if we stopped worrying about perfection and doing something mildly mediocre or slightly imperfect was enough?

If you knew you could not fail, what would YOU do?

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