I listened to a podcast last tonight about a French stand up comic who wanted to prove his standing by testing his mettle in the United States. a seasoned American comic quipped, “to be good you’re gonna have to get comfortable with failing. hard. often.” I heard that and thought, there’s a word for me. be ok with failing. it’s through failure that you learn. that you see what you’re made of, if you’ll rebound like those clowns filled with sand or if you’ll deflate like those blow up Gumby looking devices used to attract patrons to used car lots.

lately I’ve been second guessing myself, questioning my ability to lead, to handle murmuring, to accept that not everyone is going to like what I do. upon hearing the advice given to a comic, well known in France and unknown in the US, i was impressed and encouraged by his tenacity to start over, to lay down his popularity and humble himself to tough crowds, criticism, and uncertainty so that he could learn from the best and in so doing, become the best, again.

we’ve been taught to focus on our strengths, to avoid failure, to fake it til you make it. rarely are we encouraged to take risks, challenge ourselves to strive for what seems to be out of reach, and use disappointment as springboard to a new opportunity.  my paradigm on the direction i want for my life is shifting:  i’m in my 40s and i am open to marriage, having kids, becoming a stay at home mom, and exiting corporate life to become a consultant. i am projecting into the atmosphere new ideas, thoughts, feelings, and desires i have never felt and you know what? it feels really good.