What if it is not failure we fear, but success?

Sure, failure is scary.  It carries with it a sense of shame and embarrassment.  We have attempted something new and it didn’t come to fruition.  On the flip side, almost everyone has attempted and failed (more than once), so we are in good company.  So what is holding us back from following our dreams?

Success, on the other hand, that can be terrifying.  It’s an easy word to come off the tip of the tongue, and yet it is incredibly difficult to define.  Each and every one of us would have a unique definition, nuanced by our experience and values.

When we push through whatever barriers are set up that define our station in the moment to create our success, we break through into a new unknown.  The completion of a project, nailing that interview, acceptance to college, making a move… All of these (and many more) transition you into a new, unfamiliar zone where the expectations are different, the responsibilities can increase, and this adds stress to the idea of success.

And what of the expectations?  Everyone has failed at some point, but how many people can you point to as successes, right off the bat?  With success comes pressure for more.  Think about those “one hit wonders”.  How do you plan it so that you can succeed and build off of it so you avoid that tagline?

As frightening as it all can be, and I have battled those same fears, I truly believe that we all have abilities and gifts that should be shared.  If we accept that failure is a stepping stone on our way to success, a necessary step in the process, then it’s all just a learning curve.

The beauty and bounty that lies within us is so much greater than we have allowed ourselves to believe.  If we begin to see that, the fear that we won’t be able to handle the after effects of our success will fade and the path will become clear.

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