virgin islands scene

Nature is a mutable cloud which is always and never the same.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
 

 

Thursday, December 30, 1999

Fear this?

We must avoid danger, though not to the extent that we avoid life. At some point, the fear becomes more damaging than the thing that is feared. There is some risk in everything. Life in this world simply cannot be risk free and fully guaranteed.

Those who truly succeed are willing to accept the risk of failure. Those who find true love have risked a broken heart. There are risks to every action, and yet the risks of inaction can be far greater. When you hide yourself away from the world, what is it you are saving? What is left to protect?

The world can be a dangerous place. Proceed with caution, but by all means do proceed. Take calculated risks. Put yourself on the line. Don’t get left behind while waiting for a sure thing. Be a part of life, not afraid of it. The most stinging regrets are for things never attempted.

When you participate, when you take action, there is indeed the possibility of failure and disappointment. Yet when you decline to take action, failure is not just a possibility -- it is certain.

Let your fear instruct and prepare you. Don’t let it stop you. Move confidently ahead and live with all the fullness that life can offer.

— 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.