Do you ever worry about failing or not being good enough for a task placed in front of you? Do you ever worry that you are inadequate? You're not alone!
I'm starting a new job in January. I'm excited for the new opportunity and like any new job, I feel nervous about my ability to meet expectations set by my new team and myself. Maybe it's just me, but I'm afraid of failing. As I was contemplating this dilemma and trying to decide what I was so nervous about, this poem came to my mind:
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
~ Marianne Williamson ~
How true that quote is! How completely ironic! What an interesting idea that we really aren't afraid of being inadequate, but actually going beyond what we thought possible. Why are we afraid of setting the bar higher? Why are we so afraid of striving for the potential that lies inside us?
The Lord has placed us on this earth to learn and have experiences that will help us grow and gain knowledge. We truly have power beyond our imagining, but we can't grow into that ability if we don't allow ourselves that chance. It's like the parable of the talents in the New Testament. The servant who buried his talents lost them. LDS.org Parable of the talents
So what if you don't succeed the first time you try something! How many times did it take Thomas Edison to succeed in creating a light bulb? It's OK to fail, just learn from your mistakes and keep pushing beyond your fear of being inadequate. Allow your light to shine! Allow yourself to realize the power and ability you hold within and embrace it!
Reach for the stars and eventually you will hit them.
