I Need To Make More Mistakes

I know that has got to sound like an odd title for a blog entry, but I do. I need to make more mistakes. I am certainly not saying that I am perfect or never make mistakes. Instead, what I am saying is that I tend to play it safe so as to not make mistakes...or as few as possible. I tend to be afraid to make mistakes, whether it if from fear of embarrassment or just plain old fear of failure, I don't know. What I do know is that the idea of making a mistake makes me uncomfortable.

As a result, my tendency has been to not take risk, to play it safe to examine things to the "nth" degree before making a decision, because I am afraid to fail. As a result, my life has become much smaller than I think it should be. I was reading something online this morning followed by seeing something on T.V. today. In both situations the person who was the topic of the story was a great success at their business. The thing that hit me so profoundly was that both people had made a LOT of mistakes in their pasts. They had had a lot of failure before they reached their point of success. Had they been emotionally crushed by their first failure and decided to stop trying to reach their dreams, they would still be stuck in their rut with nothing to show for it. Just ten years ago one of the men was bankrupt. Today he lives in a home worth $29,000.000.00. That's twenty-nine million dollars, folks. Had he decided to give up when he filed for bankruptcy, he would still be flat broke. But this man had a dream. He followed that dream and now is living a lifestyle most of us will never experience.

It isn't easy facing failure...facing loss and mistakes, but it is a stepping stone to a success down the road. As my dad always tells me, "If it were easy, everyone would do it." Facing it is hard, but if we can learn from our mistakes we will be one step closer to realizing a dream. Dare to imagine something better. Dare to dream a BIG dream. Face the fear and step out. Five years from now you will be five years older. In that period of time you can do nothing with your life or you can be bold, be brave, face the fear and move toward that dream. You may not reach your dream, but then again, you just might. People always talk about Thomas Edison and his invention of the light bulb. When he was asked about his failures, he said that they weren't failures. Instead he had found 293 ways not to make a light bulb.

I am not just talking about money here. Money is just something that is easy to see and identify with. Perhaps you have a desire to travel or learn a foreign language. Perhaps you want to lose 50 pounds or become a body builder. Maybe you want to start your own business, learn to sing, write a book or find that special someone to love. Well, the harsh fact is that it isn't going to ever happen if you don't do something about it. You have to take a leap of faith. You may fall, you may trip, you may even look silly, but you will be one step closer to realizing a dream. There might be those who laugh at you for a season, but it may just be that they wish they were brave enough to face their fear of failure. Five years from now your life might be completely different because you were brave enough today to take a step toward your dream.

Matthrew 25 talks about the parable of the talents. In that story it was the servant who "played it safe" and hid the masters money instead of investing it who was called "wicked." The Lord knows we will make mistakes at times. He is compassionate to forgive us when we try something and fail. But to not try to at least do something with the gifts we have been given by God because of fear of failure is something He considers "wicked." That is a pretty strong statement to make. But don't take my word for it. Check it out for yourself.

I remember reading a sign one time. It said, "If you aren't making mistakes it means you aren't trying hard enough." The only way to realize that dream is to take that first step. You can do it!