Several years ago I received a unique birthday present from my sister-in-law. It was a metal paperweight, 5″ long, an inch and a half wide, and a half inch deep. On it was written, “what would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”

This was a powerful question. What would I do? I reflected a long time on this question. We did I worry so much about failure? I had so many what ifs’.

What if I fall flat on my face when I have to speak in front of the group?
What if I frame one of my paintings, place it in the exhibit and nobody buys it?
What if I write a book and nobody wants to read it?
What if…? What if…?

What if’s keep us from accomplishing more in our life.

So what if no one buys my painting. I did it! I created a painting! I entered an exhibit! And, who knows? Someone might just buy it!

And, if no one buys my book, at least I wrote one! I have told so many people, “You ought to write a book.” They always say they couldn’t do that, feeling it was too difficult a task to contemplate.

After contemplating the question, I decided to write the book. I had thought about it for a while, I had used the theme of the book, “Why do women ignore the warning signs that say…this guy’s not for you,” for the theme of my thesis in grad school. I began to expand on this idea. Pretty soon the book began to take shape. Slowly, I added stories from women I interviewed to the book. I was on a roll. Well,  I finished the book. I revised it so many times to improve it. I published it. I completed a difficult project! I accomplished something special.

The paperweight was always on my desk. My inspiration. Every once in a while I would look at it and realize the what if’s had held me back so many times. But, not this time!

The paperweight is in front of me as I write this. I plan to enter one of my paintings at an art show in November. I am now busy writing my third book. Thank you for that paperweight, Leah. I don’t have the fear of failure any more.