GRANT YOURSELF PERMISSION TO FAIL
Every morning, I wake up and I read the mission statement that I created for my life. In that statement there is the sentence that says:
An acceptance of struggle, hardship, and failure. I have made the decision, in advance, that I am going to experience struggle, hardship, and failure along my journey through life, so by accepting it before it happens, it is less likely to knock me off course when it comes and therefore it’s something I do not need to be afraid of. I love that sentence. I was discussing it with a friend, and he laid down another challenge for me. He brought up the difference between acceptance and permission. Sure, I may have accepted that failure will come in life, but have I given myself permission to fail? It really made me think about the level of commitment I was making to my goals. We all want to be successful, but does our WANT to be ‘a success’ prevent us from action because we are afraid of failure? Permission is the answer. I was discussing this with another friend of mine who is a psychologist and a therapist, and he added another piece of brilliance to the discussion. We are familiar with “fear of failure”, and even “fear of success”, but my friend mentioned “fear of disappointment.” He talked about the power that Fear of Disappointment can have over us. For some people, the threat of being disappointed in others or in ourselves can be crippling. Now what does all of this mean for my life and yours? Not only will I accept failure as a part of life, I am officially granting myself permission to fail. And I am making a pledge to myself that I will keep my eye on that crippling “fear of disappointment” and take away its power over me. Disappointment can be a choice. If I choose to not see myself as a disappointment, not judge myself too harshly based on performance, if I am dedicated to loving myself and honoring myself and offering grace to myself...what do I have to fear? I hope this helps some of your out there to understand the feelings behind your procrastination or your lack of action. I hope you all will join me and give yourself permission to fail! I love you all. Have a great week!! MONDAY!!! And happy Martin Luther King Day! Happy Birthday to my brothers Ryan Widdis and Mike Gallmeyer. I love you guys. 1.15.18 - Phillip Andrew
