Accomplishing a Long-Term Goal

 Recently, I found a card stock star with my junior high school photo in the center. Around my smiling face were goals written on the arms of the star. Some of these goals were short-term or habit goals. But there was one long term goal that I only just accomplished. 20 years later. 

For many years since I wrote this goal, I carried around a lot of shame. Shame lived in my head in a cacophony of “not good enough.” Some of this was even reinforced by teachers and professors. It felt very real and very true. So of course, why would I think my long-term goal was reachable? I wasn't good enough! 

Enter the book Daring Greatly by Brené Brown. I learned that failure is necessary to success. I learned that vulnerability and leaving oneself open to the possibility of failure is necessary for creativity to thrive. The stress and constraints that I had been crushed by for so many years started to loosen. No longer would I take people's snide remarks about my pride keep me from being a composer. It's not wrong to be creative and to believe and hope that other people will enjoy it and be blessed by it. 

This was a life-changing lesson. 

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