Fear of Failure

Do any of you ever start replying to someone else's blog only to realize you have suddenly written an entire entry of your own in their comment section?

Well, I just had this happen over at Randi's blog. She just met a chin-up goal of hers - how very awesome! It made me think about my own goals and how I tend to keep them all secret. Not like super secret in a locked up box or anything, I've just not told anyone or announced them here on my blog. I remember learning in my persuasion class that by making something public, you commit yourself and increase your chance of success. Then again I also know that by NOT announcing my goals, I've never really set them, so I never fail at achieving them. I really despise making plans and goals only to have them fall by the wayside when life gets in the way. I don't like letting other people down and so I often miss out on things that I might enjoy and even be good at (like playing softball with the team at work).

I suppose this is something I learned before I even knew what failure meant. I don't look down on other people who occasionally don't reach their goals - I commend them for trying. So why in the hell am I so hard on myself?

What do I have to lose, right? There's a better chance I'll succeed or at least improve myself trying to get there than never trying at all, right?

So, here goes. A goal aside from numbers on the scale (that I seem to have only a moderate amount of control over on any given day).

I hereby declare that I, seldom setter of goals with a dog in her lap licking her turkey leftover infused fingers, will be able to hold that plank for 60 seconds by the end of December. 3 of them. Without uttering explicatives.

It shall be done.

Thanks, Randi. :)