Opportunities and the Fear that they Produce

 I was recently talking with my wife, Marie, about an opportunity that lay before us for some exhilarating fun. But as we talked about it we both confessed fears that we had along the lines of:

• Shouldn’t we be saving our money or spending it on something else?
• Shouldn’t we spend our time doing something else more profitable?
• What happens if ___________________?

All of these are valid questions and worth consideration, but I realized that underneath all these fears there was a fear of doing something, a fear of change, a fear of stepping out. 

This caused me to go back and reexamine those stated fears.

• Shouldn’t we be saving our money or spending it on something else?

I am a person who saves and considers the future, but I had to ask myself, what do I save for? I save for opportunities just like this. So why not take advantage of the opportunity that is in front of me?

• Shouldn’t we spend our time doing something else more profitable?

Truth be told, if we don’t pursue this opportunity. we will most likely spend our time exactly as we have in the past-- which isn’t necessarily boring or unprofitable nor is it as exhilarating, fun and profitable as the opportunity that lays in front of us. Time will move forward whether you jump on for the ride or not.

• What happens if ___________________?

Let me ask you, what happens if you do nothing? Many of the same dangers and potential problems will be there either way.

I came to the realization that as I looked back over my life I have many regrets. I have done many embarrassing things that I wish I hadn’t, but that embarrassment fades over time. I have done things that have hurt others and myself but that pain goes away and you often find yourself better for it. I have damaged relationships but most of the time those relationships have come back stronger. I have messed things up and it seemed like a big deal at the time but in retrospect it was insignificant. All in all, I realized that I have few serious regrets about things that I have done but I have very serious regrets about things that I didn’t do and those have never lessened with the passing of time.

"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."
  - Sydney J. Harris {1917-1986 American Journalist & Author}

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What risks are you willing to take? For more information about how to enhance your business, visit my page Who & Why or send me an email at sethgetz@gmail.com.