Why to Fail Big

What would you do if you weren't afraid to fail?  We've more than likely been asked this question before and it is a great question. It is an important question. It helps us dream up and envision new possibilities that our careful and cautious brains (and past conditionings) are often too afraid to bring to the surface...because...they are...afraid...to fail. So, how do we do the thing we would do if we WEREN'T afraid to fail? We Take a Risk and give our vision a try.

However, the reality is that it can be really scary to take a big risk. When I first started my business, putting myself out there on social media was scary (still can be) and I had lots of fears around other people's judgments of my work and of me.  However, those fears held me back because I ended up running a business for a year without posting to social media. My fear of failure (whether it be real or a fear of the perception by others) kept me from sharing my work, my passions, and my true desire to help others grow their businesses, get their creative pursuits off the ground, and find joy and meaning in their unique lives.  And so I stayed stuck and undercover and always feeling like I wanted more connection. I also had a business no one knew about.

So, I eventually decided to take a big risk - and part of that risk was the risk of failure!  Maybe people wouldn't connect to what I was doing. Maybe my business wouldn't grow as quickly as I hoped - maybe it wouldn't grow at all. Maybe people would judge me. Maybe. Maybe. Maybe.  The truth is all of this still could happen, but if it does I'll deal with it. I'll listen. Adapt. And grow. And move onward and upward. What's next?

However, today I want to live in the possibilities of "what if". "What if" I can connect with people and help them move the needle that much closer to where they want to be?  What if my business does grow and develop?  What if there are people who won't judge me and instead are looking for what I got? - Those are probably the people I want to connect with anyway. Starting any kind of business or working towards a goal always comes with a risk of failure. However, if Vegas taught me anything, if you don't bet big, you don't win big. (Just kidding - I'm not a Vegas girl and I'm terrible at gambling, but it's a great saying.) The experience I do know is that if we don't take a risk to follow where our hearts are leading, then we stay stuck, under expressed, sometimes a little resentful, and always wondering "what if". We also end up feeling like we have more to give and that doesn't feel great.

If all of us took a risk to FAIL BIG and to follow our goals, dreams, and passions, and share our God-given gifts, imagine how much more we could help one another - we could, dare I say it, make some serious changes in the world...one risk at a time.

So now...

Imagine the worst that could happen if you took your risk and failed. Sure, it would super suck and  you'd have to deal  with moving forward and trying again. It wouldn't be fun, but you could do it...and you'd probably survive in the process. It's also a pretty good bet you would learn valuable information for the next time. As Brene Brown says, '“failure is an imperfect word” because, if you take the time and have the patience to learn from your failures, then they aren’t failures any longer—they’re lessons"(Inc.com).  Failures = lessons = growth = flowers (or whatever it is that you are wanting to have in your growth garden).

Okay! Let's shift the focus and imagine what would happen if you took your risk and succeeded. What might happen for you? Where might it lead? What would be a possibility for you that isn't one right now? How would you feel after you took that risk?  Empowering? Liberating? Fun? Exciting? Who's to say until you give it a try.

Now, go out there and FAIL BIG!!!!