I am willing to mess up. I am committed to being effective, but what I have realized is that being a leader means you have to be willing to mess up and just do it anyway. Your commitment to being effective has to supersede the fear of failure.

Someone who is not willing to mess up does not take action.

To be someone who speaks out for a cause like GMO awareness means being a leader. We have all kinds of fears attached to that word, "leader", and for many of us it stops us from taking action. The rewards, however when we do,  are far beyond what we can imagine.

Yesterday, the unimaginable happened to me. CNN came to my house ( my HOUSE!!!! you can imagine how my kitchen suddenly looked to me when I found out, I wanted to suddenly renovate) and filmed me cooking a GMO free breakfast ( why, oh why didn't I buy a new set of pots and pans??? Why are all my scrambled eggs sticking????) and eating together as a family (What if I look as nervous as I feel?). YIKES! Most importantly what if I don't say the right thing or forget to say something? What if I mess it up nationally???? ACK! The responsibility to speak for moms seemed immense.

The committee of chatter in my head analyzed everything before the shoot and I called Robyn O'Brien and just say out loud that "I know that I am not going to "get this right" for everyone. They are only going to take a few sound bites and I am never going to be able to say everything I want...so....( deep breath) I am going to be okay with "messing it up". I am also totally committed delivering my message. "Kids get better off GMOs."

She supported me by saying that "even one sentence that they use, or even just the image of me as a Mom, will inspire other to speak up. They will get that they can do it too."

And that's when I realized that it is more important that I do this, for others, than it is for me to paralyze myself with fear to "protect" myself.  I am committed to, and believe I did, deliver our message in a way that people can hear it. It's not as impassioned as I really feel about all this, but I get that that screaming it like I kinda-sorta did at the rally in my speech at March Against Monsanto is a different setting. Delivering a message means being calm, focused, strong and clear. 

As a leader for this cause, in whatever capacity we choose, there is a lot that can get in the way of being focused and clear, for you, for me. Mostly it is all in our heads. We think "I couldn't be a speaker, I can't even talk to my neighbor about this ...I don't have what it takes...I am too shy...too angry...too busy...too tired..." or maybe it's "not enough" like,  "I am not well-spoken enough, or prepared enough, or  experienced enough."

Or maybe you really believe you are " just not that kind of person"...sort of how I used to believe I am "not good at math". Now, I use math, in my example that if you as just 1 person has 10 people over for a GMO movie night and those 10 share with 5 and those 5 all share with 5 who also share with 5, then you will be responsible for 1,270 people finding out about GMOs! This math example is inspiring ten of thousands! How's that for rocking math?? Do you believe things about your self too? Like you are " just not a leader?" or "Just not a speaker?"

I ask you to consider that that is not REAL about you. It's just something you made up about yourself. It's just something you say to protect yourself from the fear of failure and "messing it up."

Now some of you are really going to fight me on this, and say " but I really do have a soft voice" or " I get really nervous talking to people and I feel like I am going to throw up in front of a room, I am just not like that."

My answer, with all the love in the world for you,  is SO WHAT???!!!

What is more important, letting your fear of failure and messing up in front of people dictate your actions or your gigantic commitment that people have HEALTH and FREEDOM NOW?

What is more important, you NOT sweating or children having the future they deserve and seeds being accessible to all?

What is more important, you being more comfortable NOT talking to your neighbor or being a stand that EVERYONE knows about GMOs and causing a tipping point of consumer rejection NOW?

It's only going to happen if we say so. Speaking to your neighbor and inviting them to a GMO movie night June 15th, getting up in front of a room and speaking at a school, or speaking on CNN is all the same. It just means that you take actions that are aligned with what you are committed to. Someone, I think that Dalai Lama said, that when your actions are in alignment with your commitment, is when you experience true joy. We can experience that joy in adverse situations or not.

So whether they air my segment on CNN or not, whether they pick out the best sound bites or not, whether you think I messed up or not, I am going to keep going. I will not stop. I will not give up. My love for my children will never end and my actions will be in alignment with that limitless love. 

I hope you see the love that you have is the fuel for the opportunity of leadership you have in your life. My wish is for you to speak out in your local radio and TV stations, to write to editors, to speak at libraries....just share your personal story.

And be willing to mess it up! On of the founders of Google said, when asked why he was so inventive said,

"When I was little, I tried to pour a glass of milk and I spilled a full gallon of milk all over the kitchen floor. When my Mom saw it, she didn't get mad, she said " WOW! that's the biggest milk spill I have ever seen! Have you ever seen one bigger? And I was stunned. I though she would get mad, but instead she smiled asked, " Would you like to play with that milk ?" I smiled and said yes and smooshed it around and it was fun. Then she asked " Would you like to help clean it up?" and we did together and it was fun. And then "Would you like to practice pouring in to a glass outside with water?" and I did and that was fun too. She taught me that it's okay to make a mess, you can even have fun with it. I never forgot that and since then I have not been afraid of messing up, so I invent."

We can be inventive and create the world we want. The Dalai Lama said "Western women will change the world" that's us, America, and the time is now.

And to the rest of the world, we do this in partnership with you. Thank you.

Love,

Zen Honeycutt

P.S. I will for sure let you all know when it airs, whether I think I messed up or not:)

Click here for the link to sign up and be a host for the Global GMO Movie night!

 Have FUN sharing!