I watch my three-year-old niece as she dances through rooms falling, tumbling, and running into almost everything. She hasn’t figured out how her body takes up space yet, and she doesn’t care. She moves through the world like it’s hers. Only when a step that leaves her headfirst on the floor with a headache does she even show signs of discomfort.
I want to be like her when I grow up.
I want to take the world by storm with no fears and the knowledge that I deserve to take up space even when that means I’m tumbling through rooms.
And I want you to be like her too.
Somewhere along the road from being three to being an adult we start to fear failure. We see the looks on people’s faces after we’ve fallen for the 100th (or 1,000th) time. We feel the annoyance in others of not being able to do something. And so, we begin to learn that failing, or perhaps even trying something new, is a bad thing.
It’s no wonder then, that when we’re ready to do something new, to go after our dreams, we feel like imposters. You fear that you aren’t good enough, that all those looks of disappointment and annoyance throughout your life will come back full force if you try something new and chase after your dreams.
Two weeks ago I started an 8-week course to learn more about surface design (think wallpapers, fabrics, the design on your favorite notebook), and the entire week before the class started I had nightmares about not being good enough. Even as I started the course, I worried that I wouldn’t be good enough, that I wouldn’t have anything original to say, that I’ve just spent all this money on something that isn’t going to get me to where I want to be.
We’ve been taught to be afraid of failure which therefore means we’ve been taught to not do anything new. But the best things that have come out of this world are from people who stepped out of their comfort zone. They let go of other people’s opinions (yeah, it always comes back to that) and kept their eye on the prize.
I have to remind myself daily I’m good enough. Good enough to pursue my dreams, to help business owners pursue theirs. It’s a mindset shift that takes time but eventually will become easier and easier to embrace.
Whether you feel like you’re enough or not, you are enough. I can believe that for the both of us if that’s all you can handle right now. You can do hard things. You can look past other people’s opinions and know that your opinion of yourself matters most.
You’re not alone in this journey. You always have someone on the other side rooting for you and cheering you on, and I’ve been told I’m very loud. So listen for me over all the naysayers and nasty looks. I know that you can create something amazing you just have to buckle down and do the work.
Let go of all the rest (and I’ll be practicing that right with you!)
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