We put so much pressure on ourselves that our expectations become unrealistic at times. Recently I started a new position, and I am not afraid to tell you that I fear letting people down, especially myself. I am excited about this new position and all the possibilities it brings to my life but I am nervous.

Everything is new, I have a lot to learn, and even more to accomplish. As these feelings started to creep in to my consciousness I started worrying that I was falling back in to the “perfection obsession” I have written about previously, and I knew this was a path I did not want to travel down. As I began to evaluate if I was starting to put too much pressure on myself I realized I had changed from where I was several months ago. I was no longer living in fear of failure but motivated by the opportunity for growth. Would there still be anxiety? Absolutely. But I was also aware now that growth means there will be failure.

It is impossible to change if you haven’t experienced the wrong way to do things and learned from it.

Life is a puzzle and the pieces are not put in place for us, which means from time to time we will put the wrong piece down. If we learn from it and change our perspective then we haven’t failed. We have grown. I know it is hard to think about failure as a potential positive, I still falter while changing my mind set, but it is in an inevitable part of life. We will not be perfect all the time and if we can understand this then we can move forward with less fear. Fear can cripple you, it can keep you up at night, and it can keep you in knots during the day. Or you can admit that you will stumble from time to time, and when it happens pick yourself up, brush yourself off, and move forward.

We have to learn to believe in ourselves and our abilities. I know I have limitations but that doesn’t mean I don’t think I can over come them. You should feel this way as well. It has taken me time to get to this place.

What I have realized is this

If I can’t believe in myself, how can I expect others to?

If I waste all my time selling me on myself, then I have wasted valuable time with others. We all end up in certain positions or places in life because of the abilities we possess. We also end up in these places because other people believed in us, so we must also believe in ourselves. I know I will not always get it right, and you won’t either, but that doesn’t make us any less worth while at what we do. That doesn’t mean people made the wrong decision about us. Anyone who can grow and change even while the unexpected occurs is someone I want to work with. That is someone I want to learn from. Don’t you?

Those are the people that don’t melt under pressure, that don’t collapse when the unexpected occurs. This is the kind of person I hope to be for others and these are the people I look to for inspiration. I still don’t want to let myself down, but the only way I can do that now is if I give up on myself because I am too afraid of failing. I will fail, I know this. It is how I grow from this that is important. We all want to get it right every time but we can’t. So let’s strive to be people who are motivated by change, by growth, and by the times in our lives where we can take on a challenge with out concern for anything but how we can put our stamp on it.

Rebekah Hibbert

Rebekah Hibbert is a Certified Athletic Trainer who works on getting athletes ready for their sport and taking care of them after they are hurt.  She is passionate about women’s issues and sharing that passion through various social media outlets and is a part-time blogger trying to share my knowledge and experiences while connecting with others.

Connect with Rebekah… www.therealgirlgrind.blogspot.com