Do you fear failure?
I know many of us do. I understand as failure can be painful, embarrassing and discouraging to the human spirit which is why you may hold off on your dreams.
A common question that I get asked is, “How do I find out what I’m supposed to do and my purpose?” First, you must know what purpose is. As you’ve probably heard me say before, purpose is when you’re using your natural gifts, talents and abilities to serve a human need. Therefore, one of the key principles to discovering what you were created to do is to follow those gifts inside of you.
The other crucial key to discovering what you created to do is to get off your butt, get off the sidelines and get in the game. What I mean is that you have to overcome the fear of failure and be willing to make some mistakes in order for your journey to unveil to you what your purpose is. Too many of us are watching others play the game of life from the sidelines wishing that we had what they have. Social media doesn’t help as the need to compare is proliferated 100 times over.
You may be choosing to wait on your dreams because you’re waiting for the perfect time or circumstances. Newsflash, neither that time nor that circumstance exist. You’re going to have to decide to discover your purpose and one of the best ways to do that is simply by trial and error.
I thought that working in the music business was my destiny which is why I pursued it. Little did I know that God had other plans for me, which is how I transitioned from employee to where I am now as entrepreneur, author and speaker. However, if I had been a servant to my fears, I would have never pursued my career in the music business. After a few years in, I knew that it wasn’t for me anymore. My journey led me into my purpose simply by trying something which didn’t work.
That’s my advice to you. Instead of waiting on the sidelines waiting for your moment to fall out of the sky, try new things that interest you. It’s time to take action! Instead of being afraid that you’ll fail because your circumstances aren’t perfect, why not try anyway?
If you’ve been waiting on the sidelines to have hundreds of thousands of dollars before you start your fashion line, how about taking action to have a small line by the end of the summer? If you’re interested in event planning, how about taking a volunteer role as an assistant to an established event planner? If you like to sing, how about auditioning for your church’s choir or share videos of yourself singing on YouTube?
If it doesn’t work out, dust yourself off, get back up and try again. Once you start, you can determine what you like, what you don’t like and build from there. One thing I realized while working at a major record label was that I did not like answering to anyone which is when I knew entrepreneurship was an option for me.
Life will show you what’s for you but you have to be willing to give it a chance. Don’t be one of that person who watches everyone else, criticizes and does nothing. Be the person who does not the person who says you’ll do. People don’t pay attention to what you say; they focus on what you do.
I encourage you to think about what you’re gifted at and what interests you in order to start the process of discovering your purpose. Your purpose isn’t something that you decide but it’s something that you’ll discover!
XOXO,
Maria I. Melendez
@embraceherlegacy
