Dare to Fail

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." Mark Twain

"A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing." George Bernard Shaw

"The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything."William Connor Magee

If you play it safe your whole life through, what do you think you will have to show for your safety when this life is over? What will you gain? What will you learn? Will playing it safe contribute anything at all to your growth?

It's no fun making mistakes. It's even less enjoyable to admit them. But it beats the hell out of playing it safe.

"There are no mistakes or failures, only lessons." Denis Waitley

When you look at it that way, it doesn't feel quite so threatening. You will not find any successful person who hasn't experienced their fair share of "lessons" on their journey. But nothing happens until we step out and take a risk, knowing the outcome may be very different from what we are hoping for.

Don't let nothing happen in your life. (Yes, I know my grammar.)

Consider these words from the song, I Hope You Dance, by Lee Ann Womack:

"I hope you never fear those mountains in the distance
Never settle for the path of least resistance
Living might mean taking chances but they're worth taking
Loving might be a mistake but it's worth making"

“Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.” - Anais Nin

“I've missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I've been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” - Michael Jordan

Do yourself a favor. Fail a little. Fail a lot. Use failure as a stepping stone to the greatest success you can imagine. But don't fail to fail. Unless a small life just works for you. :-)