I recently read this on Tammy Maltby's blog who I had the pleasure of hearing her speak about five years ago. I love this post and I love her blog!
This is a post she shared written by Seth Barns president of AIM (Adventures in Missions).
Permission to Fail
by Seth Barns
Failure need not be final. Failure is a temporary set back. You have been given all the permission you need to enter into the life you have been called to live.
1. Permission to come aboard
- You're a child of the king - that's your identity.
- You were made to destroy the works of evil - a warrior.
- You're a citizen of the kingdom - join the tribe.
- God made you a dreamer. It's normal to dream. Daydreams and night dreams. We ask "what if?"
- They were actually his dreams first. We were made in God's image and dream because he does.
- The world needs them. The world is broken and God has sent us to set it right again. It all starts with a dream.
- We've all failed. Failing is a part of learning. We rarely get it right the first time. It's called practice. Even Mozart hit the wrong notes sometimes. Get over your perfectionism - it doesn't serve the world.
- God says we're strongest where we're weak. If we feel inadequate, that's a good thing - we'll depend on him.
- The faster you fail, the greater your ultimate success. It takes a certain number of iterations for muscle memory to kick in. Once you've got more experience with the pain of failure, your fear of failure diminishes. Ask, "What's the worst that can happen?"
What permission do you feel you need? You succeeding doesn't have to be an ego trip. God built you to win, to crush the enemy under your heel. Setting the captives free is success; when you do that, it's not about you, but the person you freed. So get over yourself and remember what Marianne Williamson wrote.
Our Deepest Fear (by Marianne Williamson)
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, handsome, talented and fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.We were 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.