Spectacular Failure

"Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm."
--Winston Churchill

This is one of the most encouraging quotes I've ever come across. I found it this morning while doing a bit of writing research--it was a bit like unexpectedly running into a friendly acquaintance after many years. Or like getting a hug just when I needed it.
I've been plagued by Fear lately. Not the kind of fear that makes my heart pound or my shaking fingers grab for the switch that lights a darkened room. No, I've been beset by the kind of sneaky Fear that masquerades as fatigue or apathy, the kind of Fear that lures me into taking a nap when I could be doing something productive or exciting or both. "Don't worry about emptying the dishwasher," it says soothingly, the voice of the devil. "Best to lie down for the next ten minutes...and the next...and the next."
Once I realized the Fear for what it was, I pushed through it--and consequently ran across the quote. I read it and thought that I might as well go ahead, make the leap, fall flat on my face, and try again. Why fail timidly and quietly, when I can fail flamboyantly and outrageously! That takes the sting right out of the Fear. At least for the moment...