“The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we hit it“~Michaelangelo
He asked me what I was scared of, and I said failure. I immediately felt ashamed afterwards. For what would life be without it?
Sure, it would be a lot less stressful. Less dramatic. Less discouraging. Maybe even less painful. But it would also be stagnant. Redundant. Mediocre. Life, would be BORING. Because without failure, there would be less understanding. Less experience. Less wisdom. Less drive.
While the possibility of failure deters us from taking risks, it’s the reason we have risks to begin with. It’s what separates those who are alive, from those who actually LIVE. It keeps us on our toes. And at the same time, it humbles us.
Because the taste of failure, makes victory that much sweeter. Had Chris Gardner been handed his fortune to him on a silver platter, his pursuit of happiness may have never starred Will Smith … because there would’ve never never been a movie to begin with. The Fab Five may have never won a championship, but failures they are not.
We have to be at least a little scared of failure, but we must NEVER be at the mercy of it. Instead, know it’s potential and understand its consequences so that it forces you to step your game up – instead of paralyzing you.
Difficult isn’t impossible. And as many times as I’ve said it I’m gonna say it again, “Nothing worth having comes easy.” Easy, is well … just … easy. Ask anyone whose beat Mario Kart on level “easy.” At the end, you pump your fist in the air (or not) and shout out a victory yell (or not) but it usually gets drowned out by one of your friends saying, “Aw man that’s weak, my little sister can beat that shit on easy.” WELL FUCK YOU OK?! Failure is SCARY, but #winning is so much more than crossing the finish line on Level Rainbow.
I’m not saying to fail on purpose, or tip opportunities that land in your lap. I’m just reminding you (and myself especially) that as devastating failure can be, overcoming your fears can for at least five seconds make you feel INVINCIBLE.
And the potential of failure is essential in order to SUCCEED.
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