You CAN Do More Than You Think You CAN!

Several years back, my youngest brother told me that he loved a painting called The Nightmare by Henry Fuseli (1781). He asked me to paint it for him. I looked at him as though he had stones for brains. After all, I hadn’t been painting long, and that painting looked really difficult. It wasn’t a simple little landscape. It had a lot of different components (i.e. weird creatures, a person in a prone positions, furniture, etc.).

Initially, I said no. I knew I couldn’t do it. I was not, nor am I now, a professional painter. He didn’t give up, however; he continued to encourage me. I decided I would try it. What did I have to lose? If it turned out badly, I’d simply throw away the canvas, and get rid of the evidence that pointed to what a bad artist I really was.

The next day, I started the project. It was painstakingly slow. I had to sketch it first, and it took multiple attempts until I was satisfied enough to start painting.

I worked on it every day, a little here, a little there. Soon, the painting started to emerge. I was shocked. No, it wasn’t the original by any means, but it would do. Everyone who saw it was surprised that I’d been able to pull it off.

When I finally signed it, put the final coat of varnish, and took a picture, I was stunned.

There was no way I could have painted that. No way! Yet I had. Was I possessed? More than likely, no.

I had doubted myself. But once I let go and said, “I’m going to give it a try. What’s the worst that can happen?” I released my fears, and was able to execute something great.

I think it is like that with all of us. We CAN do more than we think we CAN.

You have to let go of the fear, the inhibitions and the fear of failure.

Try it with something you want to do. Whatever it is. Let go and see what happens.