By Rabbi Alexander Coleman
Ah! How many wonderful opportunities in life we lose for fear of failing.
It’s not uncommon for people to hesitate with intense thoughts and worry about ideas and projects that seem worthwhile to do but they can’t seem to get on with them. Should I do it, how shall I do it? Maybe it won’t work. Maybe it won’t be received well. But in truth, what’s really getting in the way is the perception that whatever one undertakes MUST succeed and succeed right away.
It’s called Perfectionism.
Instead, let’s imagine you’re standing on a barren plot of ground and someone tells you that earlier on he planted a few seeds in various places but he no longer knows where they are, but he asks you to please water the ground for otherwise they won’t grow. You pick up the hose and as you’re about to release the spray, you hesitate, not knowing where to spray, for you don’t want to spray the water on an area that it’ll go to waste. You also don’t want to look like a fool for spraying water in a completely useless direction.
Of course anyone would be a fool for even thinking this way. What, instead, should you do? You should spray the entire area knowing that while much water will not have any effect, but some of it will DEFINITELY bring success.
The same for our pursuits in life. We don’t always know where the seeds of success lie. But we have in our hands the “hose” of ideas and actions. Turn that hose on and spray your efforts onto anything that seems reasonable and logical. True, some efforts may fail but some will definitely succeed. Why? Because HaShem has planted seeds somewhere there. He just wants you to make the first effort and then He’ll make them grow.