“If you’re afraid you’ll fail, you won’t get very far.”
My understanding
Fear of failure is one of the biggest obstacles to success. If I let it control me, I hesitate, second-guess myself, and avoid risks. But if I never take risks, I never move forward. Steve Jobs understood that failure is not the enemy. Stagnation is.
Every successful person has failed, often many times. The difference is that they did not let failure define them. They learned from it, adapted, and kept going.
If I focus too much on what might go wrong, I will never take the steps needed to reach what could go right.
Progress requires courage.
If I want to build something meaningful, I have to accept that failure is part of the journey.
The only real failure is never trying at all.
Full quote
“Most people never pick up the phone. Most people never call and ask. And that's what separates sometimes the people who do things from those who just dream about them. You gotta act. You gotta be willing to fail. You gotta be willing to crash and burn. With people on the phone or starting a company, if you're afraid you'll fail, you won't get very far.”
Reminds me
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“Top piece of advice in nearly every situation: Don’t overthink it.” from Jason Fried. This quote reminds me to keep things simple and focus on what matters.
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“Continuous improvement is better than delayed perfection” from Mark Twain. It’s better to keep improving little by little than to stay stuck chasing something flawless.
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“The cold water doesn’t get warmer if you jump late.” from an unknown author. Putting something off doesn’t make it any easier. The hard things in life don’t change just because we delay them.
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"If you’re brave enough to say goodbye, life will reward you with a new hello." from Paulo Coelho.