What if you had nothing to lose?
Posted on October 26, 2012 by Eva Neuhaus, One of Thousands of Spirituality Coaches on Noomii.
Making mistakes can bring us closer to the life we want.
At an intuitive painting workshop the other day, I overheard the facilitator talking to another student who had taken a break from her current painting and was hesitant to move forward. “What if you had nothing to lose?” the facilitator inquired.
I love this question because it can be so liberating. What’s the worst thing that could happen if we risk moving toward what we want? We could screw up.
Buckminster Fuller said that biologically, we are made in such a way that we can’t learn except when we make mistakes. If we recognize mistakes as a necessary part of the learning process, then we won’t be hindered by our fear of making them.
“Try again. Fail again. Fail better,” wrote Samuel Beckett. This attitude enables us to shift our focus from product to process; prioritizing ‘how’ instead of ‘what.’ Diana Laufenberg teaches American History to 11th graders and gave a Ted talk emphasizing the importance of teaching kids how to learn and apply their knowledge rather than focusing exclusively on what they learn. Her talk is entitled: How to learn? From mistakes.
Fiona Apple sings, “I’m gonna make a mistake/I’m gonna do it on purpose.” I invite you to take a page from her book and consider what you would do if you had nothing to lose…
