Are you number 27?

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I was chaplain of the choir in college for a semester. I really enjoyed that. I think outside of the box... No way! 😁. So one day I decided that we all needed a little shock factor. I wanted to get their attention and encourage them at the same time. So, I cane up with this question? We all have it..." are you ever afraid to fail?" Most people said they were. I had to agree, fear of failure is a very real thing. I paused and said very frankly , well stop worrying about it because you will fail. You could have heard a pin drop, except that the room was carpeted. Then I gave them a list of the greatest failures in history.

My list included Einstein, Dr, Seuss, President Lincoln and even Oprah Winfrey. Yep, everyone of them failed miserably. Not just once, but many times. For example, Dr Seuss tried to get his books published 26 times. He got 26 rejections. I’m sure that publishers looked at it and said, well that’s just nonsense. Yep, nonsense that would go down in history as some of the most beloved children’s books. But it wasn’t until number 27 that he got his voice and someone caught his vision. I bet those 26 people were kicking themselves in the butt later. ( Thus the title of this blog).

What about Einstein? Did you know that he failed Algebra? What? Did you know that Walt Disney was fired because he lacked imagination? Oh yes. Do you see a running theme here? One persons opinion does not a success or failure make. But what we believe about one persons opinion can cause us to succeed or fail.

How many Dr. Seuss writers are out there that will never be effect children's lives because 26 tries were just too many?  I recall being told that Oprah Winfrey was not television material and would never succeed. I bet these people  had the ”day after” moments and were kicking themselves. Maybe asking themselves, “why didn’t I see it?”

Not everyone will catch your vision. So, you have to be certain of it and unstoppable, You must be prepared to wait for number 27.  Hold on because number 27 might be the one that will help you change the world of literature.Or maybe you could be the man who knew that he could broaden the imagination of the entire world, we know him as Walt Disney.

All of the aforementioned people had one thing in common; they were all  a little crazy. Yes, crazy. When everyone around them lacked faith in their dream they were crazy enough to believe it anyway.

So, don't be afraid to be a little crazy. Fear will keep you from being who you were meant to be,  it has the power to keep you from fulfilling your destiny.

I love the song, “I hope you dance” it’s all about perspective. The dreamer says, "maybe not today." The one who misses out says, "It will never happen."

So, here's hoping that you dance....




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