Thursday, February 28, 2008

Something to Think About

I found this post on awake at the wheel ( http://jonathanfields.com/blog/ ) and I liked it so much I wanted to get your responses. Here are the questions:

Three simple questions…
1. If you knew you could not fail and those around you would not only suspend judgment, but wholeheartedly support you…what would you do?
2. Are you doing it?
3. If not…why?
Oh, one final question…
*If your reason for not doing something is that you’re afraid of failing or being judged…how much worse would that be than never having tried?

Fear and fear of failure play such a huge role in my decisions, so it's hard to abandon those feelings for this exercise, but I'll try. For me, it would involve a job change. I am so secure in my job that the thought of leaving scares me. I also have a case of approval addiction, so I don't want anyone disappointed in me for leaving; I don't want to let them down. So, if I quit my job, what would I do? My dream is to own a candy store like the one in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It would be similar to Maple City Candy Store in Monmouth, IL.

Am I doing it? No, for the reasons listed above. Fear of failure, approval addiction... Also, I'm worried it won't make enough money to support my family. Once I'm done with school, I will probably have a little more time to explore other careers. Realistically, I will probably never open a candy store. It's just not practical and practical is my middle name!

As for the final question, I think for me it is worse to fail than to have never tried because trying is so strongly linked to my financial well-being. I feel like that's a fairly good excuse for not trying, but maybe it's just a cop-out.

What do you think?
Think about your answers and share if you want to.

2 comments:

Stephanie said...

It's taken me a while to respond because I got busy but I have also had to think about this one. I think I would start my own scrapbooking store. I'm not doing it because I do have a fear of failure but I am also not financially able right now. For me never having tried would be worse than failing. If I never try, then I will always have the question in the back of my head "Can I do it?" If I fail, I know I'm not cut out to be a business woman and I can't do it. Good post! It's definitely something to think about!

Lindsay said...

I'm glad it was thought provoking for you. That was my whole goal! Thanks for taking the time to respond.