This might fail. It is a real possibility. In fact, likely true for anything we do. So we choose to do or not to do. The thing is sometimes we don’t even ‘see’ or acknowledge the possibility for failure. Other times the failure option stares us in the face and we still go ahead and do it. Still other times, with failure staring at us, we stop and don’t even try.
The third option, when we don’t try, can be related to needing another person’s approval or applause. The metric of whether or not we will try is governed or controlled by another. We have given power to them. We try to mask it, but inside we know it to be true. And we tend not to be happy with ourselves about it, so we don’t acknowledge it.
And yet, this is reality for many of us.
We put the metric for success in the hands of others. And we judge others by our success metrics. The metrics we use for ourselves and others put us on edge, make us uncertain. And when are on edge and uncertain, we are less likely to try new things. We fear the laughter and the lack of applause.
We often forget we are not too dissimilar to others. That they too, fear the laughter and lack of applause. This is the gift we can give others. We can applaud, cheer, and accept them whether they ‘failed’ or not.
When the culture of our families, communities, and workplaces are ones of acceptance and kindness, we tend to find less fear of failure. Not less failure, just less fear of it.
Who can you meet up with today to listen to, seeing them where they are at, and reminding them that they can do immeasurably more than they imagine the more they compete against themselves rather than others.
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