WEEK TWO
BRAVE CHALLENGE
WEEK TWO
TOPIC: know failure and press forward
GUEST SPEAKER: shae LEE Shackleford
know failure
BUT PRESS FORWARD!
Weeding the garden of your mind means that you can pull out toxic seeds of doubt, shame, unworthiness or blame.
Let’s check on these two sentences as trial seeds:
“I just don’t think I can.”
vs.
“I love how accomplished I feel when I try something new.”
If we pause to do the math, the cumulative effect of these (first seed) negative statements zap and thief our life energy. You would never plant rotten seeds in your garden, so why tolerate them in your mind… the engine that runs your entire life??
When we cultivate greater gentleness, playfulness & grace, we can minimize the time spent criticizing or belittling the effort we make towards our own growth. We must vigilantly replace our self criticism with more wholesome thoughts. This does not mean we have to isolate or dissociate… This means we show up brave enough to be “bad” at something. This means we hold ourselves with love and grace AS WE show up to what we perceive to be our deepest threats and fears. Toddlers don’t criticize themselves as they attempt to learn new skills. Why should we?? Awareness is creating the space you need to realize life COULD BE BETTER. Growth is DOING WHAT IT TAKES to make it better.
Victoria Holt shares “Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.”
And Winston Churchill reminds us “The optimist sees opportunity in every danger; the pessimist sees danger in every opportunity.”
I always loved the concept of failing, but failing forward toward your success. Navigating the braver path with humility means you expect to fall, stumble and fail. You must both expect and accept your own foolishness. This is the beginner’s mind. The more we can minimize the self imposed judgment, the more room we will have to attempt and produce creations, try out new things, and stay open to what god is calling forward in our life. Move forward in faith, build trust, and rise again.
I’ll leave you with a few more words from Ann Lamott (for my fellow procrastinators) to remind us that now is the right time and the only time…
Ann Lamott
I was reminded of the four immutable laws of the spirit:
Whoever is present are the right people.
Whenever it begins is the right time
Whatever happens is the only thing that could’ve happened
And when it’s over, it’s over
May we continue to plant the seeds of our potential and may our actions nourish them to fruition.
INVITATION TO ACT
‘I TRIED’ LIST
What type of seeds are you planting this week??
Instead of a “to do” list make an “I tried:” list. List out the things you attempted/completed that day, no matter how they “turned out.” Reduce this list to strictly action based and leave the emotions out– objectively, write down what actually happened. No judgment invited here.
You will start to see that the perceived “fail” won’t put you in jail — and we can ease up and show up to the things we never got around to trying on yesterday.
LISTEN to our Live Talk with Shae
We chatted all things:
- risk taking
- honesty
- creating with an audience/community
- “failing: publicly & how to bounce back
- creative mindset must have’s
- presence, patience, and power
ABOUT OUR GUEST SPEAKER
SHAE LEE SHACKLEFORD
Shae is an Australian director, writer, and presenter, most well known for her work driving the female comedy trio ‘SketchShe’. Their viral sensations such has ‘Mime Through Time saw Shae being a guest on shows such as Ellen and Good Morning America, and her work has been featured across Mashable, BuzzFeed, Time Magazine, CBS News, CNN, Forbes and The Hungton Post.
With a background as a professional producer in Australia, she has also worked on numerous commercials, music videos, television shows and blockbuster movies like Gods of Egypt. Shae’s recent campaign for Bayer/Canesten, which she created and directed has won several awards globally, including Festival of Media Asia and Media Global in Rome.”
Missed our last topic inside The BRAVE Challenge? Check it out here! Vulnerability.
Ready for our next topic inside The BRAVE Challenge? Next up: Admit and Face Your Fears.
