One of the things on my 101 in 1001 list is to answer all of the 50 questions that will free your mind. I’ll be posting 5 of the questions {and my answers} every Friday from today until February 1st. Feel free to join in. Let’s see what we find out.
1. How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?
Probably 22, which is about the age most people assume that I am. When I do not have a number attached to me, I feel the most alive and at home in myself. It is only when I stop and wonder what I should be doing as a 27-year-old that things get fuzzy for me. But really we experience life chronologically, and things happen at different paces for all of us. That’s a pretty solid answer, though. 22.
2. Which is worse, failing or never trying?
Failing. In Storyline, Donald Miller talks about how if you’re scared of failure you need to go and fail 5 times quickly, like asking the next 5 people you pass on the street if they’ll marry you. Just get used to the feeling of failure and move on. I have never done something I wasn’t 97% sure I’d be successful at, which means I have had very calculated and predictable successes in my life but not many failures to learn by. It’s not just in trying new things or pursuing dreams, but also in my friendships and behavior. I am so scared to fail or fall short that I do nothing and rob myself the learning opportunity that comes with failure, and the subsequent grace and humility needed to stand up underneath it.
3. If life is so short, why do we do so many things we don’t like and like so many things we don’t do?
Because the moments where we understand how short life is are always fleeting. We always put things off because we think we have an infinite amount of time to change.
4. When it’s all said and done, will you have said more than you’ve done?
Yes, but mostly because I talk SO MUCH, and even though I’ve been doing more than talking… it’s gonna take a lot to bring a shift in the average.
5. What is the one thing you’d most like to change about the world?
About the WORLD – I’d change the way that children are not valued the way that they should be. They are so precious and should never be abused, neglected or abandoned.