“The greatest mistake you can make in life is to continually be afraid you will make one.”
Elbert Hubbard
As the clock winds down in your life, each second that passes is an opportunity that will never come again.
The first time that I had this thought, it scared me.
Over time however – it has empowered me, and I have helped my clients so that it empowers them.
Today, this moment, I want this knowledge to empower you and to teach you: that failure is not the real enemy.
Why Do We Fear Failure?
There are many reasons people fear failure – and they’re generally wrong. I’ll give you a couple examples –
- A Sense of Finality – Ever worry that if you try and fail, it is the end of that journey and dream in your life – so you want to get it right? Don’t be – because tThis is actually the opposite of what I’ve found. I cannot think of a single worthwhile thing I’ve done in my life where I did not fail at least once.
- What Will “They” Think? – Many people fear what other people will think of them if the try and fail. You want to know a secret? The #1 regret of the dying is “I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.” So you can worry about them now if you want – but odds are you’ll regret it later.
- “I Need To Prepare More/Research More” – I’ve also worked with is folks fearing failure, when what they really fear is that they’ll regret that they should have spent more time preparing: researching, refining a skill, etc. They don’t want to make a dumb mistake by simply rushing in and not preparing enough. However, the truth is you can never be fully prepared – and nothing will prepare you better than trying and failing.
But you know what – we fear failure, when that is not even the real enemy.
The real enemy is slowly killing your dreams and you aren’t seeing it.
Where failure is generally a temporary setback – the real enemy will completely destroy your dreams.
The Real Enemy…
The real enemy is also your greatest opportunity – you just have to choose which it will be in your life.
Your greatest enemy and greatest opportunity in your life are two sides of the same asset: time.
- Wasting, squandering time – letting it pass and not taking advantage of it is the greatest enemy. One day, it will be gone – and with it any chance to even attempt your dreams.
- Using time effectively, making the most of the moments you have and taking action – that freedom to intelligently spend your time is your greatest opportunity
Get Time On Your Side
“Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt. “
-William Shakespeare
Time is never on your side when you wait, when you are afraid to make mistakes, or when you are sitting around in various states of inaction or doubt.
As you sit around wasting time, it passes without warning you.
It is only when you “suddenly” run out of time that you will wonder where it went.
On the other hand, if you take action now, if you try now, if you fail now – you still have time on your side to try again.
When you turn into the type of person who feels empowered by realizing that the real enemy is letting time pass without using it, that’s when you get time on your side.
Every day and every moment starts to have meaning in your life – and you don’t have to wait forever to make this change.
You can start anytime – even today.
Begin Today
Every day you have a choice – whether you realize it or not.
You can have today be the next day of your life “so far” – or you can have it be the first day of the rest of your life.
The question is not “do you have this opportunity” – because yes, you do.
The question is: with this opportunity in front of you, with this day in front of you, with this moment in front of you:
Will you take the opportunity to change your life if there is something you are not satisfied with?