Napoleon Hill provides us with six fears that he believes plague mankind: failure, sickness, old age, loss of love, poverty and criticism.
As I converse with a friend, the fear of venturing suddenly strikes me as a major, though negative force that underlies failure and poverty. This is what I think. This is what is being impressed on my discovery quotient.
Apart from having godly fear or what we often refer to as the fear of God, the fear of venturing seems to me the mother of all fears because it will prevent you from starting anything. And what you do not begin, you cannot conclude or achieve.
When Lucille Ball said, "I'd rather regret the things I've done than regret the things I haven't done," I feel some vibration with her words that tend towards resonance with the subject of venturing.
Usually what gets us to the point of regretting the things we haven't done or failed to do is the fact that they were important to us, but we couldn't find the energy to venture into them.
Procrastination may be the biggest culprit, but something must take the blame anyway since we live in a world of passing the buck. The man who doesn't take the blame for his failures and inadequacies has no reason to own up to the winnings in his space.
Unfortunately, we accept what we label success, but reject what we dub failure. We forget that failure is not the opposite of success, but a part of it. As a matter of fact, success and failure are two sides of the same coin. Failure is education. Without mistakes, we hardly learn enduring lessons. Napoleon Hill refers to failure as temporary setback. I think I agree with it.
The fear of venturing cripples and prevents innovation. It stifles creativity and is closely aligned with the fear of criticism. It seems a bit convincing that a man who is afraid of criticism would not even venture at all in the first place. Does anyone share this position?
How would growth happen, therefore? We see this in children who are trying to take a first step at walking. Only the ones who dare to fall breast the tape first. No, we are not discussing competition, but that's just who we are. Man has contest embedded in his psyche. The semen that became you defeated millions of others.
Have you wondered why many ideas never get off the ground? Do you know how many ideas lie buried in graves? O, there are uncountable ideas that just went with the vessels they would have become known with, but they never did because someone feared to venture.
Donald Trump said that he had friends or people who had fantastic ideas or even good products, but because they refused to show up with what they had, people with something less went on to great accomplishments.
You want to know why? The difference between both divides is venturing. Someone for one reason just refused to venture and another decided to take a plunge. I can't stop referring to Abraham Lincoln. He kept venturing regardless of what anyone thought of him. He became one with failure by embracing the art of venturing.
Courage is a doctrine and value of necessity. Can we do anything without it? What can we accomplish without courage? Courage seems to me like Faith of the Mustard Seed. However little it seemed, mountains move because it is not afraid to show up and share its little gift with mankind.
Unless you are willing and driven to share your little treasure, unless you are courageous enough to develop your talent and serve others with your little gift, unless you are ready to trade with it in the face of rejection, you cannot enjoy the benefits of re-direction.
Did you know that every day that the sun shines, not all human are grateful for it? Did you know that the same fate befalls the rain? Is it different with the wind and many more of nature's graces?
What if each of these feared to venture? What if they feared the noise of complaints, which are like the music of mosquitoes to the ears? Would they be their purpose? Why not see yourself in the same way: a gift to nature that must venture?
Sing your song anyway, even if it sounds like the song of mosquito in the ears of humans. Sing it. Do you realise that however sore to the human condition in the space right now at the height of the dry season, the tortuous weather keeps showing up daily? Of course it is serving its purpose, whether you like it or not. It just ventures.
This is where the fortune lies for you. Look within yourself. Look at yourself. Find the treasure and seek the courage to start something with it. Let fear lead you to exploration. On the flip side of fear and failure is fortune. But only venturing can unearth this bliss.
Step out today! Step out now! Venture! Just, venture! And be the purpose that you seek.
