Standing in Your Own Power: If you knew you could not fail.
This is the last of an 8-part series inspired by reader’s comments to this initial post. All the posts, plus new editions and inspiring guest posts, will be offered in July as a Magpie Girl Eseries. Sign up for the wait list and you’ll get a friendly little note in your email when the series is ready.
Power Stories: tips and tales for standing in your own power.
Email Marketing You Can Trust
_________________________________________________________________________________________
“What would you do today, if you knew you could not fail?” – Robert Schuller
A few years ago I was sitting in a freshly painted writer’s studio, staring at greeting card pinned to the bulletin board above my desk. I had bought it for myself. It came in a plastic sleeve and had a charm dangling from the middle of it — a hinged paper-doll fairy holding the words “What would you do today if you knew you could not fail?”
What would I do if I knew I could not fail? Write. Make zines and essay collections. Teach from the stage. Earn a living. Wear a title that suited me. Have my voice. Speak my Truth. Help. Wear the motto: “Have Wisdom, Will Travel.”
“But I can fail,” said I in a whisper. (Or was it a whine?)
To which The Muse answered, “So What?”
For a long time, I wanted to throw a book at that paper-doll fairy. I wanted to squash her flat and make her be quiet. I wanted her to stop singing me her truth. I pondered and I twittered and I worried away. Eventually my thinking took shape:
I could fail. So what? What would it matter really? Some money down the drain. Some lessons learned. A little bit of embarrassment. The occasional apology for falling short on a promise.
But if I did not try? Then what? Years knocking around playing soccer mom (when I didn’t want to play soccer mom.) Days logged in an office doing work I didn’t believe in. Going to my death bed wondering, “What if?” (Believe me, when you are in chronic pain the possibility of an early death bed can loom quite large in the imagination.)
Finally, I gave in. I gave in to the wisdom of that paper-doll fairy. I knew I could not go back. Nor could I stay still, staring at the card pinned above my desk. I moved foward. In fits and starts I moved forward. With kicking and whining and dragging my feet I moved forward. Occasionally, with dancing and leaping and joy in my heart I moved forward.
I stood. I tried. I wrote and I wandered. I made things that didn’t sell. I lost money. I apologized. I learned things. And now, several YEARS later I’m here. Writing. Teaching. Supporting lives. Paying for printing. Breaking even. Making mistakes (but worrying less when I do.)
I am standing here to bear witness that you must do what you would do if you knew you would not fail. Because the truth is, you might fail, at least a little. — If you want to call learning “failing.” If you want to be perfect from the start.
But if you do not try, you WILL fail. And not in that failure-as-learning-curve way. No. If you do not leap, you will fail in that way that is full of pathos. You will fail yourself. Your dreams. Your daemon. Your Muse.
What would you do today if you knew you could not fail? Do not let the fear of failure rob you of your power. Stand. Stand in the dream of what you would do if failure was not an issue. If money was not an issue. If time was not an issue. Stand in your dream, throw back your head, open your arms to the heavens. Cry out, cry out! — what you believe, what you behold, what you know to be true. Do not have crisis of imagination. Do not let limitation hold you in. Instead, trust. Trust that if you turn over enough rocks, you will find the solution. Stand and speak the name.
What would you do today if you knew you could not fail? Name it. Plant your feet. Stand.
_______________________________________________________________________
Train with Magpie Girl is an on-going series designed to help you learn the ropes of creative, empowered living. From emotional support to practical Tools of the Trade — get the insider info you need. Click here to see all my training tips. Email me your sticking points! I’m happy to help. Thank you for being here.
12 comments
This has been such a fantastic series. Your words just…crackle…with energy and intensity and truth. (I just typo’d ‘trust’ instead of truth. Maybe a Freudian slip?).
If I stopped fearing the unknowns, I would sell most of our belongings and move out West. My husband would go in a heartbeat. So I’m trying to figure out how the heck a person even does that kind of thing. I think this post is a good place to start thinking about it more seriously…especially because *your* family packed up and moved halfway across the world, so you’re certainly an authority on taking terrifying but brave strides, both professionally and personally! Thanks for a nudge in the right direction. And as always, THANK YOU for sharing yourself and your wisdom with us :)
Love this post, as it’s exactly what I’ve been needing to read this week. It really is such an easy question to answer…but hard to do–those darn vampires.
If I could do anything….I would write. I would feed my family with my writing. And then I would write some more. And we would move to Colorado and live happily in the mountains and the sunshine. I’d start up workshops that I’ve been dreaming of (fostering communication between mothers and daughters using creativity/art). I’d open up a book store/gallery. I’d make and sell jewelry and paintings and sketches.
Ooops..meant to add a “thank you.” Thank you for such a great post this morning :)
If I get the guts to move and end up in Colorado, I’ll totally come to your workshops!
Awww, thanks Kate! I’m a little stuck in fear right now, but hopefully I can move past it soon. I’m trying to muster up the guts to move too. It’s a scary thing! I wish you much luck in your endeavors too!
Thank you, Rachelle, for re-framing failure the way you did. We don’t often think of risk-averse behavior as failure. Isn’t choosing the safe thing always somehow better? But you are right, failing to risk is failure in its own right.
My husband is an entrpreneur, and to support him I do a lot of reading and research. One thing most successful entrepreneurs have in common is
that they have had previous ventures that failed. That’s how you learn to be a success. Love this series.
You just inspired me to make some new “green” jewelry. Green in color and in theme about gardens, recycling sustainable living.
Have a great day! xxoo, Deborah
Rachelle,
I have the same wonderful quote as a magnet I bought about 4 years ago. It used to be in my school office. Now it sits on my home office desk. I so believe in the power of the words on the magnet! But you expressed it so well in this post. Your words conjured up such a powerful image for me…one that reminds me that I must keep pressing forward with my dreams and vision…no matter what!
Thank you for giving me the courage to once again stay the course and not give-up on my passions and plans! xo :)~Poppy
great post! If I could do anything I would paint and see my work in a gallery somewhere and support myself. Maybe eventually I would also work with people to express and express themselves through painting.
This post makes me think about how I view failure. Is it purely monetary? If I open up a private practice as a sexuality educator/coach — how will I judge my success or failure? I want and need to make money, but beyond that I also fear that I will be my worse critic. That there may be no way for me to truly feel successful. Even if I doubled my income, I have a sneaking suspicion that I would still wonder if I really earned it — if I really deserved success.
I hate that!! I was talking to my sister the other day and she said the same thing. She is an amazing writer, but she keeps working at a dead-end job because she can’t imagine that she might actually “pull it off” and be successful in another role. She is so afraid of not cutting it.
I suspect that some of our similarities are due to family issues, and that makes me want to address this now before I pass on the same insecurity and fear to my own kids.
Becky,
Re-framing failure has been a big part of my journey the past few years. It’s really helpd to think about the scientific method, and how scientists see a failed experiment as _progress_ in the discovery process.
Linking money and success is still a big sticking point for me. Let’s ask Kate Phillips (Wealth Coach) about it over in Flock! I’ll send her a question on it based on your comments here. Sound good?
[...] I Want to Remember for the rest of this week: If You Knew You Could Not Fail: http://www.magpie-girl.com/20100519/standing-in-your-own-power-if-you-knew-you-could-not-fail/ Best Damn WordPress Theme Guide [...]
Tell me all about it! Leave a Comment...