To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket- safe, dark, motionless, airless–it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. C.S. Lewis
What makes a dream worth the risk?
Last week I announced my new workshop based on the story of Relentless Grace. As I said in the newsletter, this project has been a dream since the book was published. I appreciate the encouraging responses and expressions of interest, and I’m excited to see where this next adventure might lead.
Proposing this sort of event invokes a number of emotional questions. What if nobody responds? How will I handle this level of vulnerability? What if I fail?
These kinds of questions are inevitable any time you try something new, take a risk, put yourself on the line. They’re not stop signs—in fact, I’d argue that they’re indicators that you’re on the correct path.
When the questions and doubts pop up, you have to decide whether the project is worth pushing past the doubt and insecurity. Using this workshop project as context, I’d like to take a look at what makes a project, goal, or dream important enough to pursue despite the inherent uncertainties.
It has to matter
We’ve all asked ourselves, “Why am I doing this?” I doubt if any endeavor is totally devoid of tasks that just don’t seem that important, but if I’m going to take the risks and do the work, I need to believe it matters.
This one’s important to me. I’ve said many times that I don’t believe Relentless Grace is my story or that it’s even about me. It sounds a little trite, but I sincerely believe I’ve been entrusted with an important message, and I want to do my best to share it.
I believe this matters.
It has to connect me to people
I could write another book—I’m working on that. I can grow the online circle through the blog, Twitter, Facebook, and other tools. I’m doing that, and I love and enjoy those relationships.
If I’m going to tackle another big project, I need to believe it’ll create a different sort of connection. Discussion, dialogue, sharing ideas face-to-face—that’s what I’m seeking with the workshop. I anticipate open-ended questions, surprising revelations, and unexpected directions.
My work as a classroom teacher convinced me that you learn more from the students than they learn from you. I’m excited to experience that sort of growth around the story of Relentless Grace.
When people join the circle this workshop will create, amazing things happen.
It has to help others
It’s tempting to see this as a tale of overcoming adversity. That’s certainly one aspect, but it’s not the main plot line. This story is about hope and new beginnings. I believe it’s an assurance that God never gives up on us, regardless of our mistakes or bad breaks. He works for good in even the darkest circumstances.
Everyone encounters that moment when they ask WHY? and wonder where they’ll find the strength to keep going. If you haven’t encountered that fearsome moment yet, you will.
If I can help others to see hope and experience a new beginning, I’ll be using the story well.
I need to overcome fear
Fear attacks each of us in different places. Personally, I enjoy public speaking. I love teaching, exploring new ideas, asking difficult questions. I’m not afraid of I don’t know.
But Relentless Grace is an extremely personal story. Teaching math to middle school kids might terrify most folks, but it’s a walk in the park compared to exposing significant personal failure.
Any dream involves risks. Vulnerability, opening your heart to others—those are hard things. The only harder thing is not doing it and wondering what might have been.
Hiding in the relative security is safe, but safe and hiding aren’t what this story is about.
I need to be willing to fail
The only thing you know for sure when you try something big is that it won’t go the way you plan. Any time people and relationships are involved, you can be certain that something unexpected will occur. What if the whole direction I envision doesn’t work?
Public failure, trying something and having it happen differently than you imagined—what’s more fearsome that that?
Failing, learning, growing, and trying again—that’s what dreams are about. The only certain method of avoiding failure is killing the dream.
What about YOUR dream? What’s required for you to push past the uncertainties, risk failure, and pursue it with passion?
A ship in a harbor is safe—but that’s not what ships are built for. William Shedd
Did you enjoy this article? I encourage you to leave a comment, visit my website, and/or send me an email at rich@richdixon.net.
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