A post on the LinkedIn group brought this topic to my mind, the old question asks
“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”
It is a way, as you will know, of getting people to recognise how much fear can hold them back.
It is a good exercise for us all, particularly when we are feeling on top of our game and ready to take on some new challenge.
Of course, it is met by quite a different reaction when we are not feeling quite so bright.
“Well if I just knew what to do I would do it”
“No, I will give it a miss. I cannot bear to get another thing wrong and I might look such a fool, best not to try”
But the truth is that fear is a part of our lives and the tension ebbs and flows for many. For others they are fearful most of the time and then for some small percentage they feel no fear and rush on with the next challenge.
Of course the last group might just be delusional I hear you say. Yes, true, but often the daft, crazy ‘give it a go’ sorts do seem to do strangely well.
So, where are you in all this?
The need for balance is essential if you are to enjoy life. Fear makes us hold back, blocks creativity and certainly blocks having a good time but we know too that it often keeps us safe. Of course it is this last selling point that often makes it a huge part of many of our lives.
We must try to question ourselves and check when we are being overly anxious and looking for trouble where there is none.
But also to ask ourselves:
Am I afraid to fail? Am I afraid to be different? Am I afraid to being judged negatively?
Because if we are willing to get it wrong sometimes, knowing that we will learn from the mistakes, if we are willing to take a chance then we are more likely to meet success to.
And in taking a chance we build that all important confidence. Really what, in most cases, do we have to lose? If we reach out and ask, if we put ourselves forward someone might say no. Not the end of the world. And another timely truism comes to mind.
It is not the falling off that is the problem; it is the failure to get up again.
And you, being part of the 20% group (remember the 80/20 Pareto rule) will dust yourself off and get going again, with new resilience and with greater knowledge.
Back to the original question then.
What would you do next if you knew you could not fail?
When you know that you can decide:
What job you should be going for
Whether you really want that promotion
Whether you really would like to be your own boss
Whether you have had enough of striving and would just like to take it easy
Whatever it might be clarity is there just waiting for you and do please answer the question without thinking about what ‘other people’ might say.
