Yesterday I had the pleasure of (finally) meeting three people who have inspired me as a writer and entrepreneur for some time now – on a typical Monday afternoon in an apartment building hallway, waiting for the janitor to show up and let the cat in (long story), chocolate smoothies in hand, Colin Wright, Andi Norris, and Ashley Ambirge, in true ‘lifestyle design blogger’ fashion chatted about life, work, travel, and everything in between.
I’ve never been in a 90 degree hallway filled with half as much inspiration.
As we made our way to the local playground yelling things like “No cock” (that one’s for you, Adam Baker) – disturbing parents and children alike, Colin, in true Colin Wright fashion, said something that stuck with me then, and I’ve continued to think about over the past 24 hours.
If you know Colin at all, read his blog, or watch his videos, you’ve probably noticed an extremely relaxed aura about him – the same could be said for his two amigos Ashley and Andi. I asked Colin, as we sat in a cozy nook of park benches, how he managed to maintain that ‘calmness’ – in the midst of constant transition, moving from place to place, running a business, etc.
His answer? In short, was that he didn’t feel ‘held back’ by risks, he wasn’t afraid to take leaps of faith and try new things (and potentially fail) because he understood and embraced that, at the end of the day, the absolute worst thing that could happen was that he’d die trying.
I know, it sounds morbid, but stick with me here…
What’s the worst that could happen?
Recently I wrote about the importance of figuring out what you need – and how freeing that realization can be once you’ve come to terms with the fact that you really don’t need all that much to get by. What’s equally important, before you take any giant leaps of faith, is that you determine the worst possible outcome if you try and fail.
So let’s say you want to quit your job and start a business – you put in your notice, pack your things, and embark toward the life of an entrepreneur. After 3 months you have…
- No clients
- No money
- A lot of bills to pay
So you have to call it quits – you’ve found yourself in a position that you HAVE to be making money – so what do you do? What’s the worst case scenario?
- You move back home?
- You wait tables or work retail to pay the bills
- You save up money and continue pursuing your own thing on the side?
Yes, this might be less than ideal – but is it THAT bad? Are the potential outcomes so terrible that they’re holding you back from pursuing your dreams? Probably not.
The best usually comes from embracing the worst
Now, let’s circle back to Colin’s point. That, any situation you’re faced with could be worse – that you can either live a life of discontent, wishing and wonder what ‘could have been’, or you can die trying. It’s a very ‘extreme’ way of putting things, but it makes perfect sense. It makes those obstacles seem so much less significant.
We can all take a page out of Colin’s book.
Because things could be worse. There are a LOT of people that are in a situation right now that’s 1000% times worse than you and I.
If you’re reading this – you’re privileged in ways that you probably can’t fully comprehend (I know I don’t). You have opportunities ahead of you that other people would KILL for.
So think about it. What if you quit, move, and try something new? What if you fail? What if you succeed?
Maybe it’s time to take your own leap of faith…what’s the worst that could happen?
(Image c/o McFull)