I’ll set the tone with this quote. Buckle up!
“The graveyard is the richest place on earth, because it is here that you will find all the hopes and dreams that were never fulfilled, the books that were never written, the songs that were never sung, the inventions that were never shared, the cures that were never discovered, all because someone was too afraid to take that first step, keep with the problem, or determined to carry out their dream.”
Les Brown
If those words cause an emotional stir in you like they did me, can you put your finger on why?
For me, those words hit me in my stomach when I get to “all because someone was too afraid to take that first step”.
I can read that quote over and over and still have a visceral reaction when I read that specific part.
Too afraid to take that first step.
Can you relate?
I certainly can. Fear is what has always stood in my way.
Fear of the unknown, of uncertainty.
Fear of ridicule, of embarrassment.
Fear of what others would think.
Fear of failure.
So whenever I’m gearing up to take that first step into the unknown that strongest of pulls towards maintaining the status quo is always compelling.
And it usually manifests itself by seeking out the first excuse I can use to trip me up before taking that bold risk.
Our brains are wired that way. Trying to keep us safe. Even though there’s no physical danger, it’s the social danger it’s trying to protect us from (the explanation is that back in the good ol’ hunter gatherer days, social outcast from the tribe would inevitably mean death).
That’s what that feeling of terror means when we’re about to do the terrifying with no physical risk involved.
Speaking in public, approaching that person you find attractive, standing up for yourself in the workplace…
But we need to learn to play in that unknown territory more often for this is where the growth is found.
Take more calculated risks. Overcome those demons in determination to carry out your dream.
Of course, we can always stay rooted in the comfort zone but let’s face it, it’s not actually that comfortable.
Sure, it’s familiar, but the longer we stay there, the more we can hear that calling from the unknown, the cry of our dreams aching to be fulfilled.
For the cost is something far heavier than say public humiliation or embarrassment.
The cost is regret.
And what a heavy cost that is.
So heavy a cost that it’s reported as a common regret of the dying.
To not have cared less about what others thought and to not have chased one’s dreams.
So when you next consider your dreams and yet struggle to take that first courageous step, consider the cost of inaction.
It’s that heaviest of costs that moves me to action when all else fails…
I hope that quote will move you to act on your dreams.
For ultimately, the alternative is contributing your share of regrets and unfulfilled dreams to the riches of the graveyard.