Fail Well & Fail Often

Earlier this week I was listening to a podcast with Brooke Castillo that got me thinking about failure.  And of course my ears perked up when she looked up the definition.  

Failure: the omission of expected or required action

She explained how if failure is an a lack of met expectation..one that we set...that maybe failure shouldn't be such a scary thing.

About a year ago I decided I wanted to teach people about a natural health option.  My expectations were low and realistic. And I entered this new avenue with all the safety that I needed.  Two full time incomes and the ability to explore.  What I didn't expect was all of the self talk that I became more and more aware of.  The things that we tell ourselves without even knowing it. 

Over this last year I have been challenged in several ways that only putting yourself out there can bring.  Outside of my comfort zone I learned all sorts of things about myself.  The most shocking was how I was telling myself things that hadn't even happened yet.  For example I would say

They'll think I'm annoying.
They won't think I'm genuine.
What if I look stupid?
I won't know what I am talking about.

It's been a challenging year and I still have moments like this.  
The other night I was teaching a class and caught myself, saying to myself (sound crazy yet) "What if I am coming across unclear and sound like I don't know what I'm talking about?"  Lucky for me I have really tried hard to pay attention to this, and the next thought in my head was "Remember, you're the expert".  Which didn't really mean that I am an expert, but from an experience aspect I definitely knew more and had the knowledge that the people had showed up to learn about.

During that same podcast with Brooke she said that 

Confidence is the willingness to fail in front of other people.  

She went on to state that "most people want to get their confidence from their past.  They want to say I'll be confident at something after I'm competent at it"

I want to be confident because I am willing to fail in front of others.  And I want to grow because I'll constantly put myself in situations to grow.

Take a quick look around.  When was the last time you were really outside of your comfort zone?  What would that look like?  

What's out there?  Want to find out?