28 Mar I Failed…Woohoo!
March 28, 2012
“I failed!!” This phrase was shouted often at a class I attended recently.
What was this strange class? Well… If you’ve seen the TV show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”… It was that kind of class. More specifically, it was a class in improvisational theater.
At one time in my life I was intensely involved in the theater scene, and I decided for fun to attend this free class being offered by an improvisational group with a theater right in downtown Austin called The Hideout Theater. With improvisational theater, also known as improv, the actors get on stage and are spontaneously given ideas about content, dialogue, setting, and plot, which they then convey. It’s kind of like being given the ideas for a skit that you are to immediately act out on the spot.
There was a lively group of us that day from various age groups and cultural backgrounds. An important thing the instructor told us from the beginning is that we would mess up and look stupid many times in the process. This was to be expected. When we messed up, we were to happily throw our arms up in the air, take a large dramatic bow, and declare enthusiastically, “I failed!”
Whenever any of us did this, the rest of the group was to immediately break out in wild applause and cheering for the person who had failed, making him feel like the most special and fantastic person on earth.
There were many declarations of failure that day, and it became something you really looked forward to, whether you were the failure or the encouragers. The underlying message that was created in that environment was this: “We’re all going to fail many times so let’s have fun and encourage each other when it happens.”
And another sneaky thing happened that was equally important: each of us tried more and more new and daring things, all the while improving and getting better because we weren’t afraid of failure.
Hmmmm… You’re probably getting the idea of how wonderful it could be if we applied this in our day-to-day life. Because the fact is, we all ARE going to fail many times in life, so why not expect it, laugh about it, and cheer one another on in the process? And how about creating this atmosphere in our home, workplace, and church?
Even…and especially…in our relationship with God.
Because the same sneaky thing will happen as you doing this: you will feel free to try more and more new and daring things, and in the process, you will improve, get better, and grow to new heights because you won’t be afraid to fail and look stupid.
So today, look for opportunities to try new and different things. Along with that, look for opportunities when you, like everyone around you, will fail… or come short of what you’d hoped for. And when you do, throw your hands up in the air, take a low bow, and exclaim exultantly, “I failed!” Then teach those around you to applaud and smile enthusiastically.
And if no one is around, think of God’s warm smile and genuine approval.
Question: What are you wanting to try, but are holding back because of fear of failure?