I remember returning home to Brooklyn, New York after having served in the Navy. I told my parents about my desire to go back to San Diego, California, where I was stationed, to seek employment. I loved the vibe of San Diego and the weather was amazing. It is believed to have the best weather in the country. My mother was not looking forward to having her 7th of 9 children leave home again, but my father, who was the strong, silent type said something to me that still resonates with me to this day, he said, “Son, nothing beats a failure but a try.”
If you wish to accomplish anything in life, you must at least try. If you don’t try, then you have already failed. When I came across Sanya Richards-Ross’s quote “Failure I can live with. Not trying is what I can’t handle,” it reminded me of my father’s words. I understood exactly what Sanya meant. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t at least go out to California and try to find work. The worst words in the English language are “I should have, I would have, or * could have.”
Did I find work? No, but at least I tried. What about you? Is there anything in your life that you want to do, or should do that you are not doing? Do you have a business idea, a career to pursue, a goal to reach, or maybe even a relationship that you can’t muster up the courage to pursue? Wouldn’t now be the time to do it?
You see, I can live with failure, but I could not live without at least trying.
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