What would you do if you knew you would not fail?

FEARLESS: A Word to Live By

Do you ever stop and think about what truly drives you toward meeting your goals, or the direction your life is meant to go?
Every year, I carve out time to choose a word of the year, or a simple anchor that guides my intentions. It is a quiet ritual, but it has shaped some of my greatest decisions. I encourage you to try it.

This year, my word is FEARLESS.

When I share this with others, I often see surprise. I see eyes get wide open, a funny curiosity. Even a bit of shock at what I might do next. But the truth is, the pandemic shifted things for me, as it did for most of us. Some changes were good. Others pulled me into a safer place than I needed to be. I took fewer risks. I analyzed more than I acted. It served me at the time, but it is not where I want to stay.

So before the year closes, I decided to claim my new year early and start working toward my word of the year theme. FEARLESS.
To borrow the wisdom of my mother: The time is now.

So how do I put my word of the year into play? Try something new. Set the goal I keep circling back to. Stop letting that persistent idea sit untouched in my mind. Do it. Do you want to try it with me? And if you want to grow, improve, or try again, then do not quit.

Whether it is a new job, a hobby you have put off, that car you keep pricing out, or the fancy overpriced espresso machine you cannot stop thinking about, whatever is on your small list or your lifetime list just go for it. Do something you never thought you would do. Bring an idea into reality that you once treated like a dream.

There is the guardian angel and your intuition sitting on your shoulder yelling into your ear, do this!! They are exhausted and will jump for joy as soon as you finally listen to them. Do you know what I mean here folks? :)

What keeps most people from living boldly and fearless is simple:
Fear.
Fear of failing. Fear of judgment. Fear of not knowing how. Fear of looking foolish. But here is the question that cuts through all of it:
What would you do if you knew you could not fail?

Thomas Edison failed one thousand times before the light bulb stayed lit. Imagine if he had quit on attempt number nine hundred ninety-nine.

Are you job searching and telling yourself no one will hire you because twenty-five interviews ended in rejection?
Did you begin writing a book only to tuck it away for “later”?
Do you keep waiting for the “right time” to buy something special, begin a health program, or take the leap you know is overdue?

What excuses are holding you back, and what would happen if you set every one of them aside and lived fearlessly?

You may fail. In fact, expect to fail. Then fail again. That is how you learn. Let people watch. Let them talk. Let them doubt. Because when you reach the final attempt, the one that works or leads to success, who will be celebrating the loudest?

You will. Because you refused to quit. You lived a fearless year.

Maybe your path begins with a simple year of yes. Why not? Try it. I plan to keep checking in with myself, push out from behind the desk, and step past the walls of fear and uncertainty. There is possibility ahead, but you must move toward it. Seek help. Ask questions. Adjust the plan when needed. Just keep going.

And remember this: You have every right to let your light shine. No one and nothing has the authority to dim it.

So I ask you:

What are you willing to do with your upcoming year?
How will you live fearlessly while you still have time to shape the life you want?

Your world is waiting. Your year is waiting.
Go claim it. I have faith in you!