Failing Forward

"People are training for success when they should be training for failure. Failure is far more common than success..."

In the midst of all this wedding planning, my photography has slowed down. There are things I still need to post about -- pictures, shoots, events -- and I will.

I started this entry with this quote because I find that failure is such a SCARY shirt to wear. I read an article about the difference between "people who achieve" and "people who are average." We can't deny that sometimes we blame people's achievement on their background, their opportunities, or even their wealth. But we can't.

"The difference between average people and achieving people is their perception of and response to failure."

When I first launched my photography website, my heart could not stop racing. I cared too much (and sometimes STILL do) about what people would think. I would measure my success based on what people said. I look at other websites, other photos, other blogs and start feeling anxious. I've posted discussions on my other blog that would expose personal feelings. I feared. I feared how much people would know about me. What they would think.

"Why do you care about what they think?" -- my fiance asked.

Because.... there's nowhere to hide? It's not like I write movie reviews. I'm not a persona or a character. I type as I think and yes -- sometimes I still hold back.

I don't post something on my photoblog (here) because I don't think it's "worthy" of a post. Then what happens? I don't end up posting for another week!

So to YOU out there reading this -- take a step towards failure with me. Don't get discouraged by your hesitations. Guess what? We ARE going to have problems. But think with me this second: What if you didn't care about what people thought? What if you don't care about failing?

"Failure is far more common than success."

But do you know what that means? The more we fail, the more chances we will have to succeed. Otherwise -- we just stand there. Hoping. Wishing. Envying.

Start with one risk. TAKE that one risk. Ask them. Try it. Show it. Buy it. Learn it. TRY IT!!