virgin islands scene

He who has never failed somewhere, that man cannot be great.
-- Herman Melville
 

 

Thursday, February 11, 1999

Risk and reward

In order to win, you must be willing to lose. If you spend your life afraid of failure, failure is exactly what you’ll get. Without the possibility of failure, there is no possibility for success.

From the moment you are born, life is risky. It doesn’t matter where you live, what kind of work you do, or how much money you have, there are always risks. You cannot escape them -- emotional risks, physical risks, financial risks, social risks. It is impossible to live without risk. What you must do is learn how to make the risks pay.

If would be foolish indeed to take risks that offered no possibility of reward. And yet it is just as foolish to let the fear of failure prevent you from taking action. Consider this. You’ve made it this far in spite of the risks, and along the way you’ve learned a thing or two. You’ve probably had a few failures, and they certainly weren’t fatal.

So whatever you want, go for it! Life is risky anyway, so seek out the risks that bring the greatest rewards. Put yourself on the line, and then give all you have to the effort. Stand up, stand out and achieve your dream.

— Ralph Marston

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Copyright ©1999 Ralph S. Marston, Jr. All Rights Reserved. The Daily Motivator is provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. Other than personal sharing, please do not re-distribute without permission.