You Can't Afford To Do Nothing (If You Want A Better Life)
“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”
Why do we put off decisions that could give us a better future? I've been at that crossroads many times in my life. Whether it was a decision to start my own business, launch a podcast or even ask my partner to marry me. I knew all three of these decisions would give me a better life. But in the back of my head, all I could think about is what if I ended up being a colossal failure?
The negative relationship we have with failure lingers from our school years. Back when we were conditioned to believe that you should avoid failure at all costs. And now that idea of failure sticks around like a party guest who doesn't catch the hint that they've overstayed their welcome.
That conditioning makes us run in the opposite direction of any and all things that could result in a failure.
Because at the end of the day, who the hell wants to feel like a failure?
Except, what if school got it all wrong?
What if failure was actually a signal that you were on the right path?
That fear wasn't trying to tell you to avoid doing it.
That fear was telling you that this decision was something worth carrying about.
That fear is a North Star to a better future for you.
In 1956 when Thomas J. Watson died, he was one of the richest men of his time and was called the world's greatest salesman. I get the sense that this wasn't by accident. Watson wasn't promoted to the chairman and CEO of IBM because he was afraid of avoiding failure — it was because he embraced it.
He believed that every time they moved ahead at IBM, it was because someone was willing to take a chance, put their head on the block, and try something new.
He once shared: “Would you like me to give you a formula for success? It’s quite simple, really: Double your rate of failure. You are thinking of failure as the enemy of success. But it isn’t at all. You can be discouraged by failure or you can learn from it, so go ahead and make mistakes. Make all you can. Because remember that’s where you will find success.”
Whatever you're putting off because a fear of failure looms above it, remember, most times failure is a one-time cost. You can't fail multiple times because nothing is ever the same on the second go-around.
But regret is like a subscription fee you can't cancel. It's a recurring cost that depletes your sense of happiness and fulfillment.
The pain of doing nothing lasts a hell of a lot longer than wondering if you could have started a business, switched careers to something more meaningful, or asked your partner to marry you.
Failure is not taking the first step.
Failure is the belief that it's not worth trying.
Failure is not asking the girl to marry you because you're afraid to put it all on the line (PS - She said yes).
What do you really wish you had the courage to do?
Follow up: How can you take the first step in the next 5 minutes?
Make it real.
Tell me what you’re going to do in the comments below 👇.
