There’s a thought-provoking line that reads:
What would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?
Think about that question for a moment. Really let it sink in deep.
What would you try doing that would bring joy to you and others – if you knew for certain that you wouldn’t fail?
Does thinking about that bring a smile or a sense of excitement to you? The sense of certainty that you can’t fail removes all worry, all doubt, all fear.
And what is left once you strip away worry, doubt, and fear is pure joy.
Joy in knowing not only that you won’t fail, but that your opportunity is unbounded. No matter what you do, you will succeed.
Of course, we don’t believe that.
All too often we hold ourselves back because we are afraid of failure. I’m not good enough. It’s too hard. What if it doesn’t work – what will other people think of me? I have too much responsibility on my shoulders to take that risk. If I don’t try, then I won’t have to risk failure.
What is failure?
It’s the belief (and acceptance) that my effort did not result in the desired outcome.
In a strange way, we are both terrified of failure and somewhat attracted to it. Failure is a tool of the ego that convinces us that we can suffer and that someone or something is to blame – including me.
When we make failure real and accept it into our lives, we look to the world and our bodies (and other bodies) as the source of our joys and pains. If we temporarily “avoid” failure, then we feel good, although we always “know” failure is lurking right around the next corner.
When we recognize that the ego’s purposeful use of failure is to keep us rooted in the world, then we can begin to understand that failure is truly made up. We realize it is simply a belief system – and the way to undo any belief system is simply to withdraw our investment in it.
When we withdraw our belief in failure (and all the other ego investments like judgment and suffering), we experience the eternal truth and certainty that we can not fail. The end is certain – including our re-awareness of the infinite joy and bliss that accompany this recognition.
What would you do if you knew you could not fail? How do you want to grow?
Join me in Monday’s class where we’ll explore this concept in greater depth, including how we can practice withdrawing our belief in failure. I look forward to seeing you then.