The risk to blossom

Just for the record, it's Tuesday.  And I'm writing a real post.  Given that I had back-to-back meetings and sessions from 10-6 today with literally no break, that's pretty freaking impressing.  And given that I somehow typed the word "pretty" as "breddy" and the word "typed" and "tiped," I give no assurances as to how this is going to go.  I'm gonna give it a try, though.  Just for you.

I've got a theme going lately.  It's so weird when things like this happen...when, all of a sudden, the same message comes at you again, and again, and again.

Strike one was the article I posted about here.  This idea of writing as if has me really intrigued.  The idea of doing things as if has me very intrigued.  Let's try writing as if we're not afraid.  Let's try doing headstands as if we already knew how.  Let's take that leap of faith as if we already know how it will turn out.  Writing, doing, and living as if is a pretty fascinating concept.  More on that in a minute.

Shortly after I read that article, a friend posted on her Facebook that she had been asked the following questions: (1) What would you do if you were not afraid?  (2) What would you do today if you knew you could not fail?  Strike two.

Strike three landed in my inbox this morning.  Tut, the all-knowing and powerful emailer or morning inspiration sent me this gem: "When the fear of 'things staying the same' exceeds the fear of 'failure,' stuff happens.  Ch-ch-changes...The Universe."

These might seem, on the surface, to be unrelated.  However, consider this as one example: I have wanted a tattoo for a long time.  Like, a long time.  Not just A tattoo...a very specific tattoo.  And I've wanted it for about 3 years.  But...I'm scared.  I'm not scared of needles, necessarily, but I'm just scared about actually going through with this.  When I went to visit my sister this weekend, she actually got me into a tattoo shop she had done some research on, and I talked to someone there about doing it.  And then, for several reasons (namely fear), I chickened out and we left.

Part of the irony of this whole situation is the tattoo itself.  (Part of) the tattoo I want so very badly are the words "the risk to blossom."  Why these words?  Ever since I was in college when I read Anais Nin in my Existential, Humanistic, and Transpersonal Psychology course, my favorite quote has been, "And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."

That's a whole lotta messages telling me not to be afraid.

I'll write more about this tomorrow.  This is all I've got in me for a Tuesday.