If I Try, I Might Fail…

No one likes to fail. I can’t remember anyone ever saying, “I think I’ll try something new so that I can fail.” No. We don’t think that way. Instead, if something seems too challenging or if there is a risk of failure, too often we shy away from it, and find excuses not to push ourselves. We refuse to risk success.

I put off getting my commercial driver’s license for years because I wondered in the back of my mind, “Can I really do this?” and “What if I fail?” After countless hours of blood, sweat, and tears (OK, maybe not the blood part) I decided to bite the bullet and go after my license. The result — I passed!

Currently I face another seemingly unattainable goal — passing intermediate statistics. It would be so easy to quit — trust me, I’ve thought about it — but I realized that God wants to teach me far more than statistics through this course. He is teaching me to think critically, to problem solve, and to persevere.

If we never get out of our comfort zones and stretch ourselves beyond our limits, then we cease to grow. The only way to achieve our dreams is to risk failure, while at the same time taking a chance at success.

So, even though there is an underlying fear of failure, I will not let this fear paralyze me and keep me from pursuing my dreams. Dare to dream; dare to succeed.