On Failure

“What could we accomplish if we knew we could not fail?” Eleanor Roosevelt

~I love this quote~

How inspiring to think of all of the adventures I would experience if there was no chance of failure.

But then I start to think…how many adventures have I missed out on because of the fear of failure?

There have been times when I know I have avoided a situation because of fear. I’ve skipped out on opportunities because I felt I would fail.

What would I attempt if I knew I wouldn’t fail?

But should the fear of failing keep me from trying new things?

Not at all!

I’ve never made macarons (and technically I never finished them because I forgot the heavy whipping cream and didn’t make the ganache) but macarons are challenge to make, they take time & practice. But I dove in, attempted, and well…there’s lots of room for improvement! But I knew going into it there was a high chance for failure. But I prepared, I read blogs, studied the tips given by chefs, and gathered the ingredients.

We can’t live our lives thinking about how we could possibly fail. We can’t be so focused on failure that we inadvertently plan to fail.

Go out and attempt great things. Try the new adventures.

Don’t let Failure interfere~  What adventures are you missing out on because of fear?

Lesson from a Spider?

 

There is was, larger than life, scampering across the dashboard towards me.

What did I do? Froze solid, {as seems to be my normal reaction to fear}

I couldn’t move, but I managed to choke out “spider” like it was my dying breath

Suddenly a hand shot across, smashed the spider {wiped the ick on the dashboard} and life was back to normal

{Thank you to my spider slayer!}

I really, really, really, really hate spiders.

And joy of all joys they have been literally pouring into my house and car in the past week or so.

Delightful!

Isn’t the human brain amazing? I can have such a ridiculously irrational fear of something so small and harmless, but this fear triggers an emotional and physical response. My muscles tense, my senses are heightened, my eyes lock on the spider. {Cause we all know if you lose it you’re dead!}

As I assess this reaction to spiders I can’t help but compare it to other fears in my life. When I am afraid of making a decision, when I am afraid of saying the wrong thing, when I am afraid of hurting someone, I freeze. I can’t run away (though trust me I try!), I can’t hide, I am frozen in the situation that I am longing to avoid.

I try to move past the issue or fear in my mind but {like when I am trying to ignore the spider} that’s all I can think about.

The remedy for this…I just don’t know.

I think a strong case could be made for this demonstrates a lack of trust in God.

But I think one thing I know I need to work on is discipline of the mind. Now we all know when you tell yourself NOT to think about something–that’s all you think about! But as we discipline our minds, fill it with healthy thoughts, {scripture, truth} we will be able to replace the thoughts we wish to avoid.

So when the spider {attacks} me, I need to force my muscles to move, calm my mind, and deal with the situation.

Don’t let fear paralyze you.