Persisting Without Exception and Big Things

If you knew you couldn't fail, when would you quit? Most people would blurt out and say NEVER! So why do so many people quit on their dreams? Is it because they don't really believe they can succeed or because they don't believe in themselves? I have no idea why other people quit nor am I going to try to figure it out just to appear smart and a know-it-all; I do that enough. :)

But when I looked deep inside myself to find out why I have quit on things in the past, whether its romantic relationships, projects, jobs, careers, homework in school, even athletic achievements, it comes down to one main thing: The fear of looking like a failure. So here goes the insane logic: If I don't try 100% and I fail, I have a reason why I failed. I didn't try enough. However, If I give 100% to something and still fail, then I would have failed, and therefore I am a failure. And nothing in life is worse than looking bad and being considered a failure.

Ok, so what's wrong with that logic? First, though I may fail at something, if I give 100% to it, I have honored my word and commitment to excellence, and I am able to stand up tall( all 5'9" of me) and know I gave everything I had. Just because I failed at something doesn't make me a failure. When we take on big things, the likelihood of failing more often and in bigger way, is certainly greater. But what also opens up is the possibility of winning in a much bigger way than we ever would have experienced if we played small. When we play small, we really become the failures we were looking to avoid being in the first place because we'll never even have the opportunity of succeeding. And if you think about it, what's the point in living if we don't get up to bat and swing for the bleachers everytime? Why bother at all? And many people don't even get up to bat. They prefer life in the bleachers.

Most of us are tiptoeing through life so we can reach death safely.

Think about that statement for a second. Ok, your second is up. Doesn't that sound so absurd? It does to me. And when I really think about what that means, it makes me laugh at how silly I have been being in my life. I've been afraid to give anything my ALL for fear of failing. So what if I fail? I'll always have another chance to get up to bat. I can spend my life tiptoeing through it, waiting to die in the end, or I can make a big HUGE splash and affect the world and make a difference, or at least have lived life in the creation and manifestation of that goal. Doesn't THAT sound like so much more fun??

I have pushed people away who love me because I have been so scared to be found out that I have had no idea what the heck I've been doing in life. I DIDNT know what the heck I was doing. I looked to make everyone wrong because god-forbid I was the one who was wrong, then I'd be the failure, and I just couldn't handle that level of looking bad. Well here it is folks. Dirty laundry on the table. I have been playing really really small for a really long time and I have been embarrassed and scared to play BIG. Doesn't that sound so ridiculous? People love me and I haven't let them in because I didn't want to be found out for being a small player. I didn't want to share my dreams with people for fear of them telling me I can't do it. And the truth is that those people may very well have told me those things. Not because they want me to fail. Maybe because of their own fears. Or maybe, just maybe....because I didn't enroll them in my dreams. What does that mean? Instead of hiding and not getting into the game, consider this alternative. If I stood up, and decided to be great, and had a vision, a dream for my life, and I shared, with my heart, in a place of openness and power and commitment, with my loved ones, they would have seen my dream along with me and would have stood by my side to ensure my success. And THAT is the context of my life moving forward. It's so much more juicy and delicious living in THAT realm, then in a world of fear, doubt, and avoidance.

The beauty and magic in life is that at each and every moment, we can make choices, new choices, and new possbilities for who we wish to be in life. And I made a stand earlier this week for the person I am creating. Who I am is the possibility of Love, Acceptance, and Inspiration.