Quote: Erin Hanson. Image from Pinterest.

Perhaps, like me, you have dreams deep in your heart that you keep tucked away in the secret box of your imagination. Every now and then you bring them out, hold them aloft to see how wonderful they look, shiny and bright with possibility. You entertain the thought of actually doing something with them, of them becoming a living, breathing reality. And for a short while you bask in the glow of how wonderful that would be.

And then the other voices come.

Don’t be ridiculous.

You could never do that.

Who do you think you are?

People like you don’t do things like this.

Someone else is doing this already.

And doing it better than you could.

Where will you find the time?

You’ll make a fool of yourself.

You’re too old.

You’re too young.

What will people think?

What if I fail?

And with that, all of the possibility suddenly seems tarnished by doubt and fear, the dream feels like foolish nonsense, and so you fold it back up and tuck it away once more, never to see the light of day.

But what if….

What if the dream that is in your heart is exactly what someone else needs?

What if you become the best version of yourself as you do it?

What if you inspire and lead others to do the same?

What if you fail?

Who cares?!

The issue of failure can be crippling and terrifying but I’ve come to the conclusion that there is a more frightening question.

What if I never tried?

Imagine getting to the end of your life and all of those dreams have stayed locked in the box without ever once having had the opportunity to spread their wings. How tragic would that be? How wasteful? Each one of us is packed full of creativity and possibility, but some of us only use the tiniest portion of what we’ve been given.

Let’s unleash it all!

Be prepared to be a glorious failure rather than scared and safe. I want to get to the end of my life with nothing left unfulfilled inside me. I’d rather crash and burn than never make it across the starting line.

Today, why not let one of those dreams see the light of day once more. Consider it afresh and let it sing to you of all that might be possible. Stare down the disapproving glare of doubt and pray for the courage to take that first step off the ledge.

Because, my darling, what if you fly?