...if you knew you could not fail

I'm not usually in the habit of deep thought in the mornings. Or like ever, really. I mean, every once in a while, I'll wax philosophical, but pretty much never in the mornings, seeing as how, you know....I hate them. 

But this morning, when my befuddled and still half asleep self was blindly reaching into my cupboard for a coffee cup before I wandered over to mooch some caramel coffee off my sister, I couldn't help but notice this cup. 

And even though I've had this cup for years, for some reason this morning, the message really hit me. So my brain immediately woke itself up and started thinking.... If I KNEW I wouldn't fail, what would I do? 

- I would open a bakery. And probably a lingerie shop. Paradoxical, I know.... But still, I just think it would be fun to do both. I'd open a salon while I was at it, too. Have a little chocolate deliciousness, then wander over and get yourself pampered AND get some sweet new underthings? That sounds like my kind of day. 

- I would immediately go back to school, and complete the following degrees (at a minimum): Psychology, Pre-Med, Digital Marketing, Secondary Education, Interior Design, and Human Resources. Since I knew I wouldn't fail, I would of course take courses for all of them simultaneously, so as to lessen the amount of time between now and when I have my multiple degrees. 

- I'd buy a lottery ticket, too. Someone's gotta pay for the schooling and the business openings, right? 

- I would begin training to become a dance instructor. Probably a Zumba instructor, actually.. Eva always looks like she is having the time of her life when she is teaching, and is in like, perfect shape, which would be pretty rad. 

- I would train to become an Olympic swimmer. I'd be going for the gold, obviously. 

- I would write a book. I would definitely write a book. More than one, probably. 

There are probably a lot more things that I would try to do, if I spent a bit more time thinking about it. But here's the kicker... Really, what is stopping me from doing all (or at least most) of these things already? Probably nothing more than my own insecurity/laziness/fear/whatever. Obtaining six undergraduate degrees? Yes, without unlimited time and funds (neither of which I have), that would be tough. Buying a lottery ticket would just be stupid, since there's no way to guarantee that I'd make it. And I've definitely passed the window to become an Olympic athlete, no question there. 

I could write a book though. And I could work to get in shape and learn how to dance, and then train to become an instructor. Hell, I could even probably open a bakery and a lingerie store someday, too. 

The struggle that I have is that I get all nervous that I'll mess up, I'll make the wrong decision, I'll end up losing lots of money/time, whatever. And I let that fear make me motionless. I freeze, because for some crazy reason, I'd rather just not do anything, than try something and fail.

And that, my friends, is just plain stupid. 

So now it's your turn: What would YOU attempt, if you knew you could not fail?

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I'd work for that

A long time ago, the lovely Erin wrote a post about things that she would accept as “payment” for work that aren’t money. I thought it was an awesome idea, and even though I’m like totally late to the party, I still kind of wanted to get in on it.

** Side note: PLEASE go check out Erin’s blog. She is hilarious, and witty, and has a great knack for decorating in colors that I just adore. So basically you guys should all be friends with her. Mmkay? Mmkay.

Back to the topic at hand. It was really fun to think about this stuff, I might add. I just kind of let my mind wander to all the awesome things I love and got totally carried away, and are there really many things at all that are more fun than that? I think not.

So here’s a list of things I would accept for work I do, instead of a regular paycheck.

-         - An unlimited budget to Target, Ikea, Lululemon, Amazon, and iTunes. I think between those five places, I could pretty much get everything I’d ever need.
-         ONE of the following vehicles (I don’t need all three, that would just be greedy): A Porsche Cayenne, a Range Rover, or a Nissan Murano.

-         - Free weekly mani/pedi/massage days.

-         - An eidetic memory.

-         - An ability to see things with an “artist’s eye” and recreate it via painting, photography, sketching, etc.

-         - This bag. 

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-        -  My own personal stylist/nutritionist/grocery shopper/hairdresser. They don’t all have to be the same person, I just want somebody doing all of those things.

-         - Manolo Blahnik and Christian Loubitan shoes. *swoon* 


 - A beach home and a mountain home. Preferably somewhere in Hawaii, and Denver, respectively. Although I’d take a mountain home in the Smokies, too. I’m not too picky. 

-       - The ability to actually know/write HTML and CSS codes. I have tried to teach myself and stuff, but I really just end up messing everything up whenever I try. *sigh*
-         - Unlimited printer cartridges and paper. Those things are expensive.

-         - Unlimited bottles of red wine. I don’t need the super expensive stuff, either…I’d take Apothic Red, Barefoot Sweet Red, whatever. Like I said….I’m not picky. J

-         - Flight vouchers so I could go and see my family/friends all over the country whenever I want.

What would YOU work for if you weren’t getting a paycheck?