I am highly critical of myself. I am actively trying not to be, but as it stands, I am. I’m a work in progress.
I oscillate between being defensive of that critical nature (“How can you grow without self-critique? Huh?”) and being ashamed of my own hypocrisy. I truly believe that we need to allow others, and ourselves, the freedom to fail. Failing means you’re pushing boundaries, you’re testing new limits and you’re trying new things.
When we allow ourselves the freedom to fail, we are enabled to take greater risks…which in turn means we risk earning greater rewards. Feeling safe around potential failure gives us the opportunity to get know ourselves better and allows us to expand our minds in ways we might not otherwise have.
In a professional setting, I’ve appreciated former bosses for allowing me creative liberties and, of course, a freedom to fail. Their support allowed me to throw all sorts of shit at the wall and the stuff that actually stuck was really good stuff. In my personal life, I encourage others to fail hard. Failing hard means trying hard. Whatever it might be.
So why can’t I apply this to myself?
Because I’m scared. I’m currently in a period of transition. I’m trying to do something different with my life, something I haven’t done before and it’s scary. I don’t like failing. I really don’t. No one does. But this moment is a test for me to see if I can apply the things I believe…to myself. Because when I’ve given myself the freedom to fail, the success has been sweet.