“What Would You Do If You Knew You Could Not Fail?” ~ Unknown

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to have no restraints in your life?  To be able to kind of glide through all of life’s challenges with fearless confidence?  The quote I’ve used as this week’s blog post is intended to inspire thought about what could be possible if you didn’t know your own limitations.  If it’s true that we are what we think about (and it is true), then I’m inviting you to explore what it is you actually think about. 

Do you think about your fears?

Do you think about what you can’t do?

Do you think about what is not possible?

If you answered ‘yes’ to any of the above questions, then I’d like you to consider that you are committed to living a limited life.  I know that sounds harsh – and maybe it is – but what’s more harsh:  taking responsibility for the results in your life (good and bad), or being blind to what’s stopping you from making every goal a reality?

 Think for a moment about what you focus on every day.  Do you focus on the things that will make your life easier or harder?  Think for a moment about how your thoughts control your actions, and consider what could be different – in all areas of your life – if you approached everything with the thought that you could not fail. 

As an athlete, my coaches often said things like think; go for it and mind-over-matter.  I didn’t realize it at the time, but my coaches weren’t just coaching me in gymnastics – they were coaching me in life.  I’ve been retired for many years, but the words think, go for it and mind-over-matter are tools I use to accomplish every goal I set for myself – no matter how big or small.  I’ve learned that setting goals in life is not enough; what makes a difference is setting goals with no fear or doubt attached to them. 

What would you do if you knew you could not fail?  Thinking of your goals with unshakable confidence (which is different than determination) in your success is what that quote is all about.

There are so many examples of people who set their goals “knowing they cannot fail.”  And sometimes they do fail, but the point is they set their goals without fear or doubt.  Instead, they jump in the deep end – head first – and have a 100% commitment to being unafraid.

Here are some of my favorite fearless goal-setters:

• Michael Jordan
• Doris Hicks (Principal of the first school rebuilt New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina)
• Oprah Winfrey
• Tiger Woods
• Martha Stewart
• Lance Armstrong
• Cal Ripken, Jr.
• Tim Ferriss (author of The 4-Hour Workweek)
• Meg Whitman (former CEO of eBay)

What is the one thing all of these people have in common? 

They don’t fear failure, but they also don’t consider failure an option.  And when they do fail, they are not stopped.  They set new goals and pursue them.  But here’s the really cool thing they do:  When they pursue their new goals, they do it without letting their past failures make them fearful. 

This is a really important thing to understand because there is no point in going for what you want in life if you’re going to let the past determine the future.  The past is the past.  The future is a blank canvas.  You can put whatever you want into your blank canvas.  And you create your canvas by living in the present – in each moment.  Think, go for it and focus your mind so that outside circumstances don’t matter!

Now…go create your canvas!

Happy Stuck Landings,

Dee Dee