Give it a shot
“Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will” — Suzy Kassem
Did you ever abandon an idea, give up on a dream or a passion project because it seemed challenging or even impossible? Did you ever stop to consider that it might be worth a try?
None of the technological advances and scientific breakthroughs would have been possible if the inventors decided to give up. The world is a better place today, because of those who strove to make things easier, because of those who decided to give the ‘seemingly impossible’ a shot.
Ever heard the phrase ‘Fortune favours the bold’? It is not a mere quote. It has been proven to be true over and over again. Unless we dream big and attempt challenging goals, our life and our world will remain the same.
Looking for more inspiration? Here is an interesting anecdote:
Elon Musk and Space travel
I was reading Elon Musk’s biography recently and the following anecdote struck a chord with me:
“We’re all hanging out at Hard Rock Café, and Elon is there reading some obscure Soviet Rocket Manual that was all mouldy” — said Kevin Hartz, an early Pay Pal investor.
The author says Musk’s friends were not entirely sure what to make of his mental state.
When Elon Musk spoke of his desire to do something lasting and meaningful, and spoke of Space, his friends thought he meant Office space, like a real estate play.
Little did they know that he was planning something earth-shatteringly huge! Elon Musk attempted the seemingly impossible, encountered several challenges and failures, but SpaceX is now on the verge of spectacular progress. And the world will be a better place because Elon decided to give his goal a shot.
We need not all attempt to change the world. We could attempt to change our own lives. We could pursue our dreams instead of letting them die. We could kindle our inner drive and attempt to fulfil our greatest desires. What lies between us and our best selves or greatest lives, is that decision to give our dreams a try.
Several things tend to hold us back — fear of failure, magnification of the risk involved, the perceived effect a failure could have on our credibility and reputation. However, if you really want something, you can rise above all these self-limiting thoughts.
Here are a few thoughts to get you going:
1) You never know what you are capable of, what strengths lie hidden within you, until you try
2) Don’t let fear hold you back — dissect it further to figure out what scares you and ask yourself — “What is the worst that could happen?”. You may realize that even the worst outcome is not so bad after all
3) Believe in yourself — know that you have what it takes to make it happen and give it your best
4) Surround yourself with people who encourage and support you
5) Think big and be positive — when you visualize the best possible outcome, it will encourage you to give it your best
6) Wear failure as a badge of honour and learn from it
7) Don’t worry about what others may think about you. Know that you are better than those who didn’t have the courage to try
All you need is to get it right once. That will give you an intense shot of confidence and courage and will make it easier going forward.
Go ahead — go chase your biggest dreams and make them happen!
