Hello! Welcome to my first blog. Actually I had a blog a few years ago. I wrote three posts but never shared them so I have decided that was my practice blog.

Allow me to introduce myself. (Did anyone else start singing the first part of the Humpty dance too? Or was that just me.)

My name is Beth. When I was born, my oldest sister wanted to name me Elizabeth. Our mom thought that would be too difficult for a kindergartner to spell. I always loved hearing this story and kidding with mom about the high hopes she had for me. (Please note the sarcasm.) I know she meant well but I always got the feeling she took one look at me and was like, “Nope. Not Elizabeth. Just Beth.” I’m sure I would have mastered it eventually. In fact, spelling has always been a strength of mine. Oh the irony.

This makes me think about the expectations I have for my own life. Is there anything I’ve dumbed down because I didn’t want to fail? Failure has such a stigma to it. We all want to avoid it like the plague. But in reality, failure can be a great teacher. There are actually companies that encourage their employees to fail to make sure they are trying new things and pushing their own creative boundaries.

As a parent, I’ve tried to encourage my kids to treat failure as a teacher. No one is perfect. If we adapt our thinking to look at failure as a teacher then we can start to learn from it.

We can use this concept in all aspects of our life. If you are failing in a relationship take a moment to think about repeated behaviors. Ask yourself, “Am I being too critical? Am I jumping to conclusions? Am I answering the question before I’ve ever heard what’s been asked?”

I do not have all of the answers but I do know that being hasty is usually a bad idea. I’ve made some hasty decisions in my life and then had to live with those decisions and wished I could have a do over. I’ve also talked myself out of taking a risk because I was afraid to fail.

I’ve wanted to write a blog to encourage others for a long time now. I have put it off for so long because I have been afraid. Life is short. So I’m glad I’m finally doing this.

Is there something you’ve wanted to do but the fear of failing is holding you back? I encourage you to take the first step. Push the limits and see where it takes you. If you decide to take a risk please let me know.