Three little words could add up to Happy New Year!

As we begin 2023, I am motivated to remember three words: Failure, fun, and fear. Three different presenters used them.

Embracing failure was a central theme of the speaker at my granddaughter’s graduation ceremony at Colorado State University. The engineer encouraged everyday failure, emphasizing how it leads to innovations and inventions—failure is the root of success.

Failure not only moves us to success but to improved quality. If I didn’t throw a few recipe attempts into the trash and start over, wear out my eraser when drawing, or edit and re-edit these articles, I would likely quit trying. Failure leads to a better product if we see it as a good thing instead of flaws in our skill level or potential. It is like an equation—failure + try again and again = success and satisfaction.

Oprah is the one who mentioned fear and encouraged her listeners not to live or lead by fear. Fear can stop us from trying. Fear’s an emotion of anger, anxiety, and not living to one’s potential. Fear can keep us safe, but in the process, it can be debilitating and harmful. Imagine if great achievers and influencers were afraid to try. Fear is real, but it only stops or squashes us if we permit it.

Lastly, Deepak Chopra spoke about the importance of fun in our daily lives. Having fun can be compared to frosting on a cinnamon roll or a good sharp blade when cutting a board. We can live without fun, but what fun is that? Life is more challenging without fun, and we can create fun. Fun is often an attitude—and fear and failure can interfere. Even challenges during the pandemic caused us to dig deep and find fun. Many crazy and enlightening stories came from months of isolation. Finding humor in a situation we had no control over contributed to our survival and to whatever memories we gathered.

It’s essential to remember fun doesn’t need to cost money. The fun starts with a twinkle in our eyes or an easy laugh in our bellies. The fun happens around and to us every day, and it doesn’t need planning or deep pockets; it is around us and through us—we only need to pay attention. Life goes on as long as I’m alive, and finding fun in daily activities improves me.

As this year starts, think about failure, fear, and fun. Those three words are thought- provoking as we decide how to mold 2023. Failure is essential to success, fear can encourage or hinder what we choose, and fun involves enjoying the present—what is here right now. Those three little words could add up to Happy New Year!

Until the next time: Live while you live.

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.