Supposing there’s no possibility of failure?

Supposing we were to explore this in our daily lives: there is no possibility of failure. (I’m going to write this blog post with this in mind!)

Try imagining no possibility of failing with what you plan to do in the next ten minutes – not about biggies like your career or being a parent.

Supposing you need to feed the cat, go for a jog, or get in the shower? Something ordinary that you typically do without much thought.

…Well of course I’m not going to fail when I feed the cat! But do you subtly berate yourself for not feeding her/him earlier, for not being able (or choosing) to buy more “nutritious” (and probably expensive) cat food?

…And the shower, I mean how can you fail when you take a shower? Do you really wash behind your ears, or just get it over with, thinking about other things? If you’re in California, do you use too much water, and feel guilty?

You see what I mean: in subtle and not so subtle ways many of us unthinkingly berate ourselves for “not being good enough.” Do we actually create feelings of failing by constantly anticipating it? Feel unworthy because we tell ourselves we are constantly?

The participants in the Crossing the River program are exploring this in creative assignments woven into daily life. And they’re reporting feeling surprised, way lighter and more present, like no longer being shamed for having drawn green skies and purple rabbits when they were four.

Actually, everything we do can be creative. Try it with small stuff that’s happening in the moment. Take a breath and say it again. Say it out loud. Explore it again the next day, and the next….

Like exercise, this can be hard to start. And like exercise, it can get addictive! Just opening to the possibility, with small actions, that we’re not failing. See how you feel about yourself in that living moment. Experiment. Get a little wilder…