Grant Yourself Permission to "Screw Up"

     As I delve into this process of becoming a success, I find myself having to address many of the things that I do not like to do: phone calls, research, discipline in time management. It gets very tough because I like to win. Who out there is ever enthusiastic about doing the things that you already have set in your mind as not going well for you? Probably no one! Perhaps it's mental or it's this fear of failure or even success that people talk about. If it doesn't go the way I like, is that failure? Or, could it be that it may go completely well? What next? Maybe I'm not quite ready for everything to go well and deep down inside- I know it! Aaaah! That's the fear of success.

     I'm thinking that for me, it all comes down to perceptions: I want others to have a good perception of me! I'd like to be seen as reliable, successful and/or responsible. But, if I'm making calls to people who really are what I perceive as those things; will they think the same of me? Will I belong? Or, will they view me as a failure or a "Wanna be?"

     The truth is, it shouldn't really matter about what someone else views me as. I know what I need to do to get where I'm going. I need to be willing to make the right moves at the right time and accept whatever perception comes with it. I need to grant myself permission to be a "Screw up!" Be a novice; inexperienced and "Green" in the game. Overcome the "Beginner's" phase. If it means being exposed for lack of knowledge, so be it! I remember being told that we always gain the experience we need, just after we need it! Funny! But, never at that time, right?

     I like to look to Jim Carrey's character in the movie "Dumb and Dumber" as inspiration. It gives me the courage to be completely optimistic though I may be under qualified at certain tasks. Just set my sights on something and go after it. That's the true nature of success: Living your life exactly the way you wish to. If it's true that we gain experience just after we need it, then imagine how much more prepared we become with each mistake!

     It almost seems kid-like to grant yourself the opportunity to reach for something without the slightest clue as to all the factors involved. It adds a bit of mystery and excitement. Yet, still it is unarguably one of the greatest ways to learn: fall short first!

     I spoke to a private lender the other day for a real estate project that I wanted funding on. No way in the world would this guy work with me. But, now I know exactly what he would work with in the future. I absolutely will call him back at that point in time. So, I hope that you begin to act so that you can discover the various factors involved in reaching your goals. Until then...

Best wishes to you and your happily balanced estate!