I heard a great expression the other day and I loved it! Failing upward! So that’s what I’ve been doing for the past few years, and it seems to be working really well for me! I now see every circumstance where I try to do something that fails, as a breakthrough learning experience.
I have lost my fear of failure because each time something doesn’t work out as I had hoped, it leads me to a higher level of understanding about myself and the kind of work I need to be doing. If we are open and fearless, we can learn so much about ourselves through this process!
My best example was the matchmaking service I started in 2004 after I lost my job as a librarian. It was fun. I enjoyed it and made some money, but I realized it wasn’t really me after about six months. So then I hired a career counselor and together we decided I should try freelance writing next. I worked really hard at that for a couple of years, but could soon see the major problems with writing as a profession.
Freelance writing is so unpredictable and undependable, what with newspapers and magazines going out of business right and left, and nobody certain how or if we will ever find a way for writers to actually get paid a living wage through the internet.
More importantly, I learned that what I most love to do, is exactly what I’m best at. I finally got the BRIGHT idea to do what I love! I know I’m a GREAT coach and speaker. I have heard that from everyone my whole life.
I LOVE encouraging a crowd to think outside the box, expand their vision of what they are capable of, and then go do it. I also LOVE working one-on-one with others when they feel stuck and feel a strong need to move on in life.
Is it possible I could do what I love and am best at, and also make a good living at it? Will wonders never cease!
