If Only...

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

That's a question I read in a motivational book the other day, and it kinda stuck with me. What WOULD I do, if the fear of failing, and failing itself, were completely irrelevant?

We all have doubts and excuses. If only I was smarter...if only I had more money...if I just had more time...if, if, if...reminds me of my favorite movie, The Wizard of Oz. At times, I have played the part of every character of that movie (Except maybe Toto, and no-witch cracks, puh-leez!...no house has fallen on me, yet!). I've been the wanderer Dorothy, I've lacked courage, or brains, I've wanted a bigger heart. Oh what I could accomplish...if only. Like the scarecrow sings, "I could think of things I never think before, and then I'd sit, and think some more."

In my Sunday school class recently we studied the parable of the talents. You know the story...the master leaves five to one servant, two to another, and with the third servant he leaves one. All three servants are expected to use their talents wisely. Of course the master returns to find two servants did well and doubled their talents, but the third servant, scared to lose it, just buried his. What could that servant do, what would he have accomplished, if he knew he could not fail?

Sitting in Sunday school that day, I couldn't help but think of that line from an old America song, "Oz never give nothing to the tin man that he didn't, didn't already have." That WAS true, remember? (And the whole point of the movie.) Dorothy goes looking but eventually she finds everything she wants is in her own back yard. The lion thought he lacked courage...the tin man thought he lacked heart...the scarecrow thought he lacked brains...Oz didn't give them anything they didn't already have.

Inside each of us is courage, and knowledge, and heart. It's our responsibility to use these talents and make them grow.

So, back to the question: What would I do if I could not fail? Stay tuned...

And PS, what would YOU do?