It’s so common to read the question “what would you do if you knew you wouldn’t fail?”
Um, I think the answer to that is – whatever I want.
But the truth is, you might fail. In fact, every “overnight” success that you read about most likely worked for years, and failed lots of times, to get to where they are now.
So the question really ought to be: what would you do even if you might fail?
Or, put another way, what do you want to do so much that failure along the way is not only acceptable to you, but something that you will actively use to learn and grow and become better at what you do?
That thing? The answer to that question – that’s what you should do.
Easier said than done, right?
Well of course right. Everything is easier said than done. Going to work in the morning, taking a shower, filling the dog’s food bowl – all of them are easier said than done. But the truest fulfillment and joy in life comes from doing, not from saying.
Doing is where dreams start to put on skin. Action is the beginning of creation.
And yes, you really can do what you want to do. Maybe you don’t have all of the skills right now, but skills can be learned and information is mere keystrokes away (thank you Internet!). And maybe (okay, guaranteed) you’ll fail a time or three on the way.
You can see each fail as just that – failure. Or you can see each of them as a lesson.
Failed product launch? Okay then, analyze. Dig into what went wrong and where. Use the information for next time.
Failed test? Okay then, analyze. How much time did you spend studying? Do you need to spend more next time? Study with a group? Use more resources? Use what you learn for the next time.
Failed diet? Okay then, analyze. What went wrong, what went right? Use what you learn, adjust what you do, and move forward.
You know, Thomas Edison is reported to have said:
“I have not failed 10,000 times. I have not failed once. I have succeeded in proving that those 10,000 ways will not work. When I have eliminated the ways that will not work, I will find the way that will work.”
In other words, failure is a necessary step in learning.
What would you do even if you might fail, and more importantly: what will you do when you do fail?
Look, I don’t know what your dream is. I have no way of knowing this. I’m just saying that your dream, well it may have 10,000 steps. You may need to learn 10,000 ways not to do it. And that’s okay.
Because eventually you’ll eliminate the ways that don’t work.
And you’ll find the one that does.
~LuAnne
