Fortune Favors The Bold

From Tim Ferris,  The 4-Hour Workweek:

There are two types of mistakes:  mistakes of ambition and mistakes of sloth.

The first is the result of a decision to act– to do something.  This type of mistake is made with incomplete information, as it’s impossible to have all the facts beforehand.  This is to be encouraged. Fortune favors the bold.

The second is the result of a decision of sloth- to not do something- wherein we refuse to change a bad situation out of fear despite having all the facts.   This is how learning experiences become terminal punishments, bad relationships become bad marriages, and poor job choices become lifelong prison sentences.

Tim is right on the money.  I find that most people are terrified of making mistakes of action… and therefore end up making continuous, horrible, soul-crushing mistakes of inaction (sloth).   People fear change far too much.

Most people will, for example,  waste years (even decades) in a job they hate…  simply because they fear making a “mistake of action” by quitting.   They imagine horrible possibilities if they quit,…  and neglect to imagine all the wonderful possibilities.  And so they stay in that same boring job year after year after year….   dying inside long before their body dies.

I have found that in my life, decisiveness itself is incredibly powerful…  even when I make lots of “bad” decisions.   In fact, “bad” decisions don’t scare me… because as soon as I realize the decision was bad… I quickly make another decision to rectify or improve the situation.   In this way, negative effects are quickly corrected… while positive outcomes grow, gain momentum, and multiply.

Inaction is the great killer of souls.   Staying with a boring job is always far worse than quitting.   There are always other jobs…. (and sometimes you can even go back to the old one if you leave nicely and stay in touch– something I’ve done in the past). There are also other lifestyles, other ways of living.  Too many people create a lifestyle (mortgage, car payments, etc..) and then let it become a prison and an excuse for doing nothing.

But you can sell or walk away from the house.  You can sell or abandon the car.   You can get rid of most of your possessions.. if you want to.  There are always options.

The point is to stay true to your vision for a magnificent life and never ever quit on it.   Never “settle”.  Never!

And any time you feel you have lost your way, that you’re not living (or at least moving towards) your magnificent life– make an immediate change.  Do something!  Don’t fear a mistake… because the biggest mistake of all is doing nothing.

This is your life….

Get out there and live my friends!