Afraid of Failing

A few projects I’ve wanted to start recently
1.  A homemade calendar
2. A quilt for my baby
3. A pillowcase
4. A family scrapbook
5. A blog about books

I’ve hesitated in starting most of these projects because I’m afraid of failure.  I haven’t sewn something together since I was about fourteen years old.  A pillowcase can’t be that hard, right?  I’m sure in my hands I’ll probably end up ripping out the seams at least twice before it even resembles a pillowcase.  I’m afraid my calendar is going to turn out looking like a mess.  My children and grandchildren are going to be looking through the family scrapbook.  What will they think of my first attempts at scrapbooking since I was fifteen?  I’ve been Googling examples of scrapbooking and calendar making, hoping to get some ideas.  And my book blog?  Well I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best writer.  What if no one reads my blog, and further what if I have as many typos in that blog as I do in this blog?  That’s embarrassing. 

Several weeks ago I started to realize I couldn’t be afraid of failure.  I am going to fail at some things in life.  Some projects will turn out better than others.  I recently heard this example of failure on Music and the Spoken Word.  A professor at a very famous university known for it’s medical research (I can’t remember the name of it) explained to his students, when doctors first started to perform kidney transplants many people died because of complications.  But it was because of those early mistakes doctors were able to learn from and eventually improve the procedure so that today there are hundreds of successful kidney transplants.

A great modern example of failure after failure is Lindsey Sterling.  She was on America’s Got Talent when the judges told her that there was no audience for what she did (dance and play the violin at the same time).  Again and again she met failure.   Everyone said she wasn’t going to succeed.  Over 3 million subscribers on her YouTube channel later . . . not to mention touring Europe, performing with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and releasing an album.  I wouldn’t call that failure.  But, she had to fail first before she could succeed.

Thomas Edison, inventor of the light bulb, said,

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.  The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.”

Even with the fear of failure looming in front of me what do I do?  I start on one of these projects!  I realize that these projects aren’t going to affect my social status, how much my family loves me, or my divine worth.  Failure is just scary.

My husband accompanied me to the craft store (what I good husband!) where I bought some fabric for my pillowcase, and some crafty scrapbooking things for my calendar.  (I figured if I messed up on the calendar it wouldn’t be as bad as messing up on the scrapbook.  I can throw the calendar away in 12 months).  

As for the book blog I’ve already started it!  The first and second posts are up!  I figured if it fails then it fails.  At least I tried.  And in a year or two I can look back and laugh at my failures, realizing they have made me into a better person.

Information about my book blog.

I have wanted to start this blog for a long time, but never really knew how, and of course afraid that I would mess something up.  So one day I just decided to start it.  “Off the Shelves” is all about books (and some movies).  I’m not exactly sure what all I’m going to include in it, but I know there will be reviews on books and movies (the second post us about Disney’s Frozen). I’m also planning on blogging about the different elements in a good story, and anything to do with books; what we can learn from them, what makes a good book, and what doesn’t.  Pretty much whatever I feel like. 

To view my first post on “Off the Shelves” click here.