17/05/2018
What if you fail?
I always ger asked lots of questions at the end of my school assemblies and the other day a hand popped up and asked ‘What if you fail?’.
That’s why I love children because they often say what other people are thinking but are maybe too scared to say. It was also such a good question because it was asked without motive and with genuine honesty. Not it in a way designed to put me off or that suggested I would, but purely because he just really wanted to know what would happen.
It could be seen to be quite sad that at the age of 8 children are thinking about failure but I didn't see it that way. Failure is a part of life and not some negative thing that we should avoid. To succeed in things, we must risk failure and that’s ok. Its also ok to think about failing. It doesn’t mean you will, it doesn’t make you weak, it makes you realistic and better prepared to learn and deal with things if you do.
When I set off in a few days there is quite a large chance I will fail to achieve what I set out to do. I am realistic to that prospect and have accepted that in my head.
Does that mean I shouldn’t try?
For many of that ‘what if I fail?’ question stops us doing so much. That often overwhelming idea that something might go wrong. Just because I am doing this doesn’t mean I immune to these feelings but in a way by dealing with them helps to find the answer.
Overcoming these feelings, the temptations to give in to doubts, to not listen to that voice that says ‘what happens if you get injured after a day and come home?’ is a really big part of this. Of course I think all those things, I’m human, but if I make it to that start line on May 19th I will have achieved something in itself.
To many people that won’t be that impressive and I will need to make it that finish line to have achieved my goal. For me that’s not true.
Only me and few other people know what it has taken to get there and whether I make it all the way or fall apart in 3 days I will have given myself the chance to fail.
It may not be the most inspiring quote you will ever read or see but the idea of ‘giving yourself a chance to fail’ is one I quite like. As by simply giving yourself that chance, you are also given yourself the opportunity to do something else.
You are giving yourself the opportunity to succeed.