What would you do?

[stopbeingdumb]

I recently heard a podcast from James Altucher. His guest posed this question: What would you do today if you knew you wouldn't fail?

[Rogar]

I would worry that I couldn't learn from my mistakes.

[Ultralight]

I'd move to Florida, get a good job, and go fishing!

[razz]

Sort of what I am doing now. Life has handed me detours, lots of them, but I have not felt that I failed as each adventure was a learning step to the next one. Not quite sure what the question was intended to accomplish. Did anyone give a reason?

[iris lilies]

Other than the obvious of buying. Lottery ticket for the megabucks lotto, I dont know.

Oh wait--i would jump feet first next year into entering a floral design in Art in Bloom. While I do plan to enter next year, it still scares me.

[freshstart]

I would march right back into my job as a hospice nurse and I would go wind surfing (do they even still call it that???). I would never take the ability to work for advantage again

[stopbeingdumb]

That's an interesting perspective Rogar- I like it!

[stopbeingdumb]

Not quite sure what the question was intended to accomplish. Did anyone give a reason?
Thanks Razz, I should have been more clear. The intention was to adjust your mindset toward your goals. Knowing you won't fail is obviously impossible; failure is part of growth. But, how many things do we keep ourselves from doing because we actually fear failure rather than embrace it as you have?

[LDAHL]

I recently heard a podcast from James Altucher. His guest posed this question: What would you do today if you knew you wouldn't fail?

Vegas baby!

[catherine]

Thanks Razz, I should have been more clear. The intention was to adjust your mindset toward your goals. Knowing you won't fail is obviously impossible; failure is part of growth. But, how many things do we keep ourselves from doing because we actually fear failure rather than embrace it as you have?

This is a great question. I have a history of fearing failure/sabotaging my success. Two examples: I became passionate about the workshops in Theatre Techniques in Education that I had worked with in college, kind of ancillary to my theatre degree. I decided that my life's work was going to go to classrooms and teach teachers how to inject improvisation and creativity into their classrooms.

So the month after I graduated, I got a call from the guru of this area of study offering me a job as an intern with her group. I turned her job and instead worked as an office girl in a dark, dank warehouse!!!

Example Two: Working for NBC in New York, I decided to take advantage of their tuition reimbursement benefit and apply for a Masters in Broadcast Journalism at NYU. I was accepted, but never went, using my impending wedding as an excuse!!!

I count those two instances in my life as regrets that I have--regrets about my fear of failure short-circuiting my hopes and dreams. I did get over it, but hard lessons learned.

So.. today.. what would I do if I couldn't fail? Now, for me, the question is, what would I do if I could wipe away my debt--because now it's the debt that keeps me handcuffed, not fear of failure. So in that case, I would not work anymore, but I would travel the country and maybe write about permaculture topics and profile people working in it.

Debt aside, the money devil on my shoulder says "You want to send your grandkids to college" and "you want to have a house on the lake in Vermont" and "You want to be able to support causes" and "You don't want to have to worry about money like you used to" So each of those murmurings is a turn in the screws on my handcuffs.

[Yppej]

Online dating.

[frugal-one]

This is a great question. I have a history of fearing failure/sabotaging my success. Two examples: I became passionate about the workshops in Theatre Techniques in Education that I had worked with in college, kind of ancillary to my theatre degree. I decided that my life's work was going to go to classrooms and teach teachers how to inject improvisation and creativity into their classrooms.

So the month after I graduated, I got a call from the guru of this area of study offering me a job as an intern with her group. I turned her job and instead worked as an office girl in a dark, dank warehouse!!!

Example Two: Working for NBC in New York, I decided to take advantage of their tuition reimbursement benefit and apply for a Masters in Broadcast Journalism at NYU. I was accepted, but never went, using my impending wedding as an excuse!!!

I count those two instances in my life as regrets that I have--regrets about my fear of failure short-circuiting my hopes and dreams. I did get over it, but hard lessons learned.

So.. today.. what would I do if I couldn't fail? Now, for me, the question is, what would I do if I could wipe away my debt--because now it's the debt that keeps me handcuffed, not fear of failure. So in that case, I would not work anymore, but I would travel the country and maybe write about permaculture topics and profile people working in it.

Debt aside, the money devil on my shoulder says "You want to send your grandkids to college" and "you want to have a house on the lake in Vermont" and "You want to be able to support causes" and "You don't want to have to worry about money like you used to" So each of those murmurings is a turn in the screws on my handcuffs.

I would think it would be the parent's job to help their kids go to college... not grandparents. Your main focus (IMO) now is retirement.