Are You Playing Small?

I have spent the better share of my life being extremely analytical and a planner.  Not necessarily bad qualities until they hamper your progress.  Sometimes we can get so held down by this process that it takes us forever to simply take some action.

After spending 3 lovely months in Lyons, CO, I came away with many beautiful and life changing insights.  There is no room in life for playing small or being afraid of making a mistake.  I seen a post on Facebook recently that really resonated with me, "I've learned so much from my mistakes, I think I'll make a few more."  Sometimes our best insights and opportunities come from our mistakes.  Yet all too often we allow fear to grip us with worry of failure.  We live in a society that teaches from the time we are children that failing is bad.  Why is this?  Failing is only "bad" if we refuse to learn from our failure and try again.  Thomas Edison said, "I have not failed.  I just found 10,000 ways it didn't work."  Absolutely brilliant!!  

Many people freeze up with just the idea of having to take a test or quiz.  Is this because they don't know the material?  Typically that's not the case.  Many people that take an exam freeze up with fear of failure even though they know the subject matter, however, it's the pending end result of receiving one of those words "pass" or "fail" that tends to grip them.  I've seen many situations where these people are asked the same questions in conversation style and they are able to nail the answers with ease.  

So, before this year ends and the New Year begins, I have decided to stop worrying about making a mistake and how much it will cost me.  In the long run it tends to cost us a lot more by standing on the sidelines waiting for the "right opportunity" or information.  Just go out, do it, and calibrate on your results!

Dream It!  Do It!  Live It!