The F Word

Failure.

I am a recovering perfectionist who, many years ago, was afraid to fail.  

Mind you, in college my idea of failure was a B. I remember my only B in a history course, which was my major. I remember how I blew the final exam. It felt like failure because it wasn’t perfect in my eyes.

Fortunately, I have grown a great deal since those college days and have consciously shed much of my perfectionism. I’ve allowed myself to try lots of new adventures without caring about the outcome.

I’ve had tons of fun learning tap dancing, acting, calligraphy, storytelling, creative writing, Zendoodle, ballroom dancing, paper crafting, aerobic dance and jewelry making.  

It’s the learning I love as much as the knowing.

I have also taken risks in business, some of which were big hits while a couple flopped from the moment I sent them out into the world. I choose not to think of the flops as failures, but rather as “learning experiences.” Now I know.

This is not just a matter of semantics. It’s about mindset. It’s about giving ourselves permission to be… human.

As humans, we are imperfect beings. Trying to be perfect makes as much sense as wishing the moon were really made of cheese.

We do our best. Sometimes we hit a home run. Other times we strike out.

Then life goes on and we’re that much wiser, smarter and enlightened.

How does perfectionism show up in your life?

What are you avoiding for fear of failure?

Times a-wasting. Go for it.

You owe it to your imperfect self.