“I used to be afraid of failing at the things that mattered a lot to me, now I am afraid at succeeding at the things that do not.” — Bob Goff
A lot of us most likely grew up hearing that “you can do anything if you put your mind to it.” Let’s also consider that millennials live in a culture where in a matter of seconds there’s accessibility to a platform of endless examples of talent. The eagerness for success, and the awareness of the possibilities, brings a lot of us to a place of having big expectations, while not knowing or valuing the steps in meeting those expectations. A desire to have talent in almost everything results in not being good at anything.
Of course you’re not good at anything - you’re twenty, and that’s okay.
The reality is that there are endless possibilities of things that you could do. But if you picked up a camera only yesterday, you probably aren’t going to be opening a studio today. There will probably be a lot of time and work that goes into it before the end goal even seems like a possibility.
Not to say that there isn’t still the few people that frustrate the masses.
Prodigy: “a person, especially a young one, endowed with exceptional qualities or abilities.” These are the people that can pick something up and be an expert in a matter of what seems like seconds. And although it is certainly a blessing, and certainly special, we need to realize that these people are not the norm. For the majority of us, we will struggle our way through learning something new for months before seeing much improvement. And if you are in that majority, and can’t quite seem to figure out why you’re not Instagram famous even though you bought a new Canon last week, you need to know that there is nothing wrong with you. A lot of the things worth learning take a lot of time and effort, and it may be a few years yet until you get to where you want to be.
Take yourself out of the running and don't compare. Drop the expectations off of your shoulders. What you do not need is to succeed at what matters to you in this moment. What you need is to find contentment in the fact that more often, you won’t.
“I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:12-13, NIV).
These verses are not about academic, athletic, or any other type of success. It is about the ability to be content despite your circumstances, and the truth is, there is more power in that than success could ever bring you.
Don’t be afraid of failing at the things that matter to you; instead be afraid of succeeding when things do not.
