scared to succeed

What am I going to wear to Prom?
Who do I eat lunch with today?
Which elective do I choose?

Remember when those were the most pressing decisions we were making?  I long for those days.

Well-not really-I wouldn’t say I was one of those girls who loved high school so much she would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat. No. I was more like the “whew-glad that’s over-I’m NEVER stepping back on a high school campus again” girl. But I digress a bit.

I was Facebooking the other day (yes, I know how cliché and silly that sounds but I love it and I’m not giving it up…Facebook is my friend and who are we kidding-I am there EVERY day-not just the other day) and I came across a status from a young teenage girl whom I’ve know since she was 5…it basically said that she was feeling pressure and sad and overwhelmed and life was rough. With all the heartfelt compassion I could muster I would love to grab her and hug her and say…

Kiddo. You haven’t seen anything yet.

Adult decisions and life choices are WAY more difficult. And I’m not always a fan. We all face choices whether it be over our career or childrearing or our relationships and friendships, with our bank accounts, our homes and our cars.

Sometimes I find myself hesitant and indecisive.
I don’t think I used to be this way.
And I’m not always that way.
But then again…the decisions aren’t always that tough!

I heard a great talk on Sunday at church where the Pastor talked about success and failure. He shared some thoughts that really hit home for me…(He was much more eloquent but I paraphrase)...

We’re more afraid of success than failure.
Failure takes away our options, makes our choices for us.
Success opens the door to more options and demands more from us.

Hmmm…I actually find myself sometimes longing for the choice to be made for me!

But if you really think about it-it’s so true. Success is scary because it does open up a lot of options which in turn requires more of us as individuals. I am scared of my potential. I actually do think I am capable of great things. And yet, that scares me at least as much as it excites me. I do actually believe I am capable of making hard decisions and following my dreams.

And then I start with the “What if’s.”
What if I’m not?
What if I can’t do it?
What if no one likes it?
What if I fail?

OK Negative Nelly. But we do that don’t we? Ever notice how we spend so much time on that portion but we don’t spend any time on the What If’s of success?

How many times have we said to ourselves…
What if I am great?
What if I can do it well?
What if everyone likes it?
What if I do make it?
What if I succeed?

I am the Queen Bee of worst case scenario.
But this year I resolved to be more open and live more creatively.

So. Perhaps it’s time to put that Queen Bee crown down and start making decisions based on the “What If’s” of success. I wonder if life would be drastically different if I was capable of doing that? See! I already did it a little.

Hmmm…I think I could get used to this.

McGee

*If you want more info on the Pastor who sparked these thoughts, check him out here!