“Yes, risk taking is inherently failure prone, otherwise it would be called sure thing taking.”
—Jim McMahon
It’s Thanksgiving Day and I’m in California with my kids. They are late risers and so I have time to contemplate before they wake up. This time of year always urges me to think about the coming year. What do I want for 2020? What didn’t I quite achieve in 2019? Being with my kids always stretches the heck out of me. They are where they are because they march ahead, unafraid of failure. They care what people think, but not enough to hold them back
I love this quote from Wayne Gretzsky, the famous Canadian hockey player,”You miss 100% of the shots that you never take.” This morning, I was looking back at some shots that I didn’t take last year; the technology I was hesitant to try, the desired conversation I never had, and the personal growth investment I shied away from. (I hate to admit this stuff to you.)
If I want to reach my full potential, I’m going to have to push through the edges of my comfort zone. I’m going to have to be okay with risking and maybe failing. I’ve come to realize that failure is the constant companion of success. If I’m making mistakes–Hallelujah!–that’s means I’m out there trying something new. If I don’t take chances, I will be resigned to living the life I’m living now. Yes, I love my current life, but I know there’s more…lots more. AND I desire the more. I don’t want to look back on my life and suffer the “if only” syndrome; if only I would have taken the risk to say, do, or attempt that!
Am I beating myself up for what I didn’t accomplish in 2020? Nope.The year’s not over yet–there’s still time to make efforts toward those goals and desires that are not yet achieved. I can position myself right now for a better new year. It helps me do that by creating a clearer mental picture of my preferred future…and then imagining it often. This simple act, like daydreaming when we were kids, propels me onward.
How about you? What do you really want? Who do you really want to become? What would you like to have? Create your mental picture. There’s one month left in 2019. Take the risk! You can still do it! Come to the edge…and fly.
Need a push? I’m just an email away!
Pushing forward,
Jan
Jan McDonald
The John Maxwell Team
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