To Be Successful. Be afraid. Be very, very afraid.
Published on June 06, 2012
Be afraid. Sometimes be very, very afraid. The world looks upon those who have achieved great results, be it in business or health or family or public service and see them as being special. "They must be the chosen ones" we all imagine, going back to our safe environment of mediocrity. I have had the great fortune over a long career both in broadcasting and now working in personal development to meet a great many of these people and here's what I can tell you. They are not special. Not at all. They are average ordinary people just like you and I. If there is one thing I can point to it's that they took on challenges many shy away from. My wife left a career as a successful chiropractor to enter nutrition. She's now one of the top nutritionists and writers in the country. My brother-in-law Dan Shulman walked away from a sure thing in a career as an actuarial scientist and now is the top sports broadcaster in the world. A past acquaintance stepped out of the shadows of living in the projects in a single family home to become deputy prime minister. A young basketball player pushed aside the tears after being cut from his high-school team to go on to become the legend we now know as Michael Jordan. Here's what all of these people did, if there is magic to it. They faced down the fear. Fear of failure. Fear of ridicule. Fear of the unknown and went after what their hearts beat for. Make no mistake. It was not a cake walk. There were days and weeks and likely years that they were challenged again and again by the fear but they pushed through. Here's what all of this means I guess. It's something that's necessary for us all to go through if we hope to end up where we are deserving of being. It's good for all of us from time to time to be afraid. Sometimes be very, very afraid. Have an excellent day
