Start The New Year By Making A Mistake

My wish for you in 2014 is that you try new things and make mistakes.  I know that is probably not what you expected to hear.  It may not be what someone “looking out for your best interest” would say.  But please hear me out and then make your mind up about what is truly in “your best interest.”  Fear of failure is the greatest deterrent to your success.  An acronym for FEAR is: False Evidence Appearing Real.  I invite you to challenge fear by doing what you are most afraid of. I am not talking about jumping into a bed of snakes Indiana Jones style if you are deathly afraid of them.  However, go for it if that is what you think will help.  (Remember, Indi found magnificent treasures at the end of his petrifying snake plunge.)

Have you been ignoring your wise inner voice that tells you that you are not living the life you want, in the way that you want, because of the fear?  It might be fear of falling flat on your face. Fear of making the worst mistake of your life and looking like a fool, or fear of failure.  Let’s not forget the all-important, “I am not good enough or smart enough to do to it” mantra that plays like bad elevator music on the fear frequency channel of your grey matter.

“Why would I even want to do that, Gillian,” you might say, “You are supposed to have my back.”  I do have your back and this time I am supporting it while pushing you out of the comfort zone that you have defaulted to. If your butt has made a permanent imprint on the cushion of contentment, then I say its time to make a mistake.

When you make a mistake, celebrate it as a new form of success.  Because you have the courage to “fail”, you have the talent to succeed. If you are not making mistakes, you are standing still, or sitting on your contentment cushion.  I encourage you to push yourself further; experience that which scares you the most, but constantly seduces you by its potential of greatness and peacefulness (not to be confused with contentment). Be alive, be brave, be restless, be curious. Above all, believe that you can make mistakes and be greater because of them.

Here’s to a mistakeful and successful New Year.