“I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.” – Michael Jordan
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” – Thomas Edison
“You build on failure. You use it as a stepping stone. Close the door on the past. You don’t try to forget mistakes, but you don’t dwell on it. You don’t let it have any of your energy, or any of your time, or any of your space.” – Johnny Cash
Afraid to Fail
There are so many great quotes on failure that I had a hard time narrowing them down to just three. If you do a quick search for “failure quotes” and read through some of them, it becomes apparent that failure is necessary for growth and success.
I think most of us are afraid to fail. Maybe we’re taught not to fail, despite so many successful people telling us that we need to fail to learn and become successful. Or maybe it’s just me. I don’t like to fail. I don’t really know anyone who does. I’m afraid of failing. I always over prepare and it’s very easy for me to get stuck in “paralysis by analysis” because I don’t like to fail and I’m uncomfortable in unfamiliar situations.
Maybe you’re afraid to go to the gym because you don’t know what to do and you think others will judge you. Meanwhile, you continue to gain weight and become less happy with yourself. This was me.
Maybe you’re afraid to join that organization that you’ve been interested in from afar because you don’t think you’ll fit in and you don’t know anyone in the group. Meanwhile, you’re stuck where you are without making any meaningful connections. This was me.
Maybe you’re afraid to start that blog or podcast or YouTube channel because you think people are going to judge your motivation, your thoughts, your writing, how you speak, etc. Meanwhile, you continue to watch others succeed without judging them or considering that they may have been in your shoes before. This was me.
People always say they’re waiting for something.
Waiting for Monday.
Waiting for something to happen.
Waiting until after the holidays.
Take Action!
Waiting means that you’re losing out on potential progress, potential to change your life, potential to fail and learn. If your situation needs help, then waiting only compounds making things worse.
What if whatever you’re waiting for never happens and you just keep waiting forever?
If you’re waiting for something are you actually going to take action when that something happens? Maybe, maybe not. I’m sure that if you have the excuse that you’re waiting on something to take action that you’ve already passed up other opportunities to take action.
You’re waiting because you’re scared that you’re going to fail. You think you won’t be smart enough, it will be too much work, you won’t have enough time. Why do those things matter? Because you think it’s going to end up with you failing and not reaching your goal. You’re waiting for that time to be perfect, but I don’t think there’s such thing as a perfect time outside of right now.
Who cares if you fail? We saw at the very beginning of this post that failure is good. Failure is a building block. It means you took the next step. It drives success.
Unless…
Unless you let failure defeat you. Use failure as a tool, don’t let failure defeat you.
What’s The Worst Thing That Could Happen?
Think of the worst-case scenario if you failed. If it’s not that bad, then why not take action now and quit waiting?
These are things I hear from people all the time when it comes to getting their financial situation in order.
I’m waiting until next year. I’m waiting until I get a raise. I’m waiting until I pay off my debt. I’m waiting until I get a better grasp on my cash flow from my new job.
Any of these hit home? It’s not just you. They’re all very common excuses.
You do realize that organizing your finances and becoming educated will help to answer your financial questions for you and probably lead to better decisions, right?
If you have an illness that you know will become incurable if you don’t get it treated, are you going to continue to wait to go to the doctor?
Your finances can become incurable, too.
Quit making excuses and organize your financial life. Educate yourself on your own personal financial situation and what you can do to make it better. What’s the worst that could happen? You become overwhelmed and quit? You remain where you are and don’t make progress?
What Else Could Happen?
You could organize your financial life and develop an accurate understanding of where you are, what steps you need to take immediately, and what steps you need to take to get where you want to go.
The worst thing is that you waste some time and become frustrated and the best thing is that you create a better life for yourself and set goals to get where you want to be.
That doesn’t seem so bad.
Or, maybe you’re afraid of getting organized and seeing how bad your financial situation really is and the road that you have ahead of you to right the ship.
It’s scary. It’s intimidating. It can be daunting. But guess what? Continuing down the same path only makes it worse and that much harder to correct when you do finally decide to quit making excuses.
Seems like a no-brainer to me
So, why wait?
