“I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.”
~Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan is one of the greatest athletes of this age. He was an absolute pleasure to watch on the basketball court.

I remember when he quit basketball to play baseball. He simply wasn’t as good, and he went back to his strengths. You have to give him points for trying.

So many of us often don’t even try. We assume we will, or might, fail, and stay in our comfort zone with what we know, even if there is a voice or an impulse that pulls us another way.

I see this in my own life, as well as in the lives of my clients, colleagues, friends, and family. There is something we want to do, a goal we want to accomplish, a dream we’ve had for years…but we don’t do anything about it. “I might fail. It’s not sensible,” we rationalize. “It might not work. I don’t want to look stupid.” So we stay where we are and let our dreams and ambitions fade away.

I don’t think Michael Jordan looked stupid playing baseball – and even if he did, it’s not what we remember him for. We might remember him for trying something different, and we definitely remember him for the star that he was.

Go for it – whatever it is. Let failure, if it happens, be a single event, not a defining moment.

Where are you not trying something because you’re afraid you might fail? Please leave a comment.

If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.


For support in trying, contact Lisa at lkohn@chatsworthconsulting.com.

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