You cannot get to second base unless you leave first. You cannot sail a ship unless you leave the shore. There are lots of analogies we can use to demonstrate the same thing. You have to take a step away from what you know and consider safe and secure in order to reach any new level in life.
The opportunity to take a step in any direction is a freedom we have been blessed with. Yet how often do we compromise our freedom for the sake of staying safe? The irony is that there is no safe. We are not guaranteed a tomorrow. So safety or security is a misnomer in this regard.
In my years of mentoring people, I have seen countless talented, gifted people sacrifice their dreams for the sake of perceived security. Yet this quest for security never truly brings anything close to it. Jobs aren’t secure. Positions aren’t secure. Even good health isn’t secure. Anything can happen at any time.
The quest for remaining safe, in my experience leads to a life of frustration and regret. No one, and I mean no one, truly enjoys living under self imposed limitations. Who wants to look back in their later years and, knowing through the wisdom of those years, that they would have been just fine had they taken a few more chances on themselves. After all, even the birds always seem to have something to eat, don’t they?
I’ve never met an honest man who regretted giving it a shot. But I have been countless men who have talked about “what if” when speaking of years and opportunities gone by.
You know what is in your heart to do. You have a grip on what your passions and gifts are. You owe it to yourself to take a shot. You owe it to those you love. And in truth, you are meant to use those gifts and blessings as a way to make your contribution on this planet. No one will ever care about a legacy of “well…he always played it safe.”
Life is not secure. Don’t waste your blessings on the pursuit of security.
“Any society that would give up a little liberty to gain a little security will deserve neither and lose both.”-Benjamin Franklin
