987. "What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?"

"What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?" Robert Schuller

Two of the things that people fear the most in this world are death and failure. Both of these often keep a strangle hold on people from actually living. To many, safety is comfort. However, if you stay safe your whole life, how much do you actually experience? The fear of failure comes in many forms; fear of your business failing, fear of not living up to your parents expectations, fear of getting rejected, etc. I believe this is a question that you should ask yourself everyday. 

Failures are no doubt going to happen to everyone. Once you accept the change of failure, there is no reason to fear it. Failure is part of life, so why be caught in its web of fear? If theres something you have been dying to do, something you're passionate about, why not go for it? Take the risk. My brother when he graduated college had a job offer (at the peak of the recession). Instead of taking it, he headed out to Hollywood to try and make it in an excessively competitive industry. As you can imagine, my dad was not happy. And most certainly my brother had a fear of failure and definitely a fear of letting down his father. However, it was something he was passionate about, and he knew to ever do what he loves he had to be in Hollywood. He's currently making positive steps in the direction he wants. He hasn't reached his dream, but hes living his life and my dad couldn't be any prouder.

You only live this life once. So you should never let fair of failure hold you back. Ask yourself "What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?", and if it's something you really want to do, go for it. If you fail, pick yourself back up and learn from it. If you succeed, you'll be the happiest person on the planet at that moment.

991. "He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail."

"He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail." Abraham Maslow


This quote is about perspective. When you are a master of something, everything in the world appears to you in that context. For instance, if you're an artist you see all the world as an opportunity for a photograph or a painting. I think one of the greatest examples is show in the UPS commercial shown at the bottom of the page. Because the man works in logistics, he sees deeper into what Ben does. He isn't simply a UPS man, hes logistics.


While this is a great attribute to have, because it will make you a master in your field, it can also blind you to other perspectives. The artist does not see Ben in the commercial as logistics, but rather as a painting opportunity and vice versa. This narrow-perspectiveness often leads to disagreements on a simple subject. This is why I think it is important to have multiple things that you master. Sure you should master your career, but master hobbies as well. Soon you perspectives will begin to blend together and you will be a more well-rounded thinker. You can be the logistics man/artist/sports fanatic/human rights activist. That combination right there will enable you to see the world in many different ways, and your blind spots to certain aspects will begin to fade. So I encourage everyone to become masters of your career and masters of a few hobbies. Have a good weekend and ill be back on Monday.

992. "Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy."

"Anticipate the difficult by managing the easy." Lao Tzu


Think of this quote as a house, and the easy as the foundation. The foundation is the simplest part of a house, it is straight forward, without frills and designs, and rarely needs attention to small details. However, it is the most important part. If a strong, unanticipated wind blows, a loose foundationed house will fall, but if the foundation is in order, it has a greater chance at surviving.


The other day I had an interview. In the past certain questions had thrown me off, but that was due to lack of preparation. This time I managed what I could myself, and nailed the interview. I made sure I was well dress, well researched on the company and took an accurate assessment of my skills. I was asked many difficult questions, and ones I had definitely not prepared for, but because I have a great base of knowledge, I was able to roll with the punches and answer them well instead of searching for answers.


There are many things you can do in your life to be more prepared for the difficult. Make a to-do list, do your laundry, save a portion of your income, and I could go on and on. I have learned this through experience and it is true; if you are prepared, you will succeed. This doesn't mean knowing everything about everything, but have what you can control in order and you will be able to better roll when the difficult arises. 

996. "It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up."

"It's not whether you get knocked down, it's whether you get up." Vince Lombardi

Let's face it, no one lives a perfect life. At one time or another you will get knocked down. You might lose your job, a family member, you may pull a Bill Buckner in you High School State Championship. All of these are excellent reasons to get down on yourself and be depressed. However, if you stay too long in this state of mind, the event has beaten you. 

Ive been there before. I once lost a Little League game on the last play, in the Summer League Soccer League Championship, I scored an own goal, and while trying to impress the varsity soccer coach when I was in 8th grade, I broke my leg during a game. All of these could have brought me into a mental state that collapsed my life for an extended period of time. 

Admittedly, each action brought about a brief bit of agony as is only natural. Everyone after an even like these WILL be affected, but it's what you make of these events that determine who you are, determine your character. In each of those events listed above, I eventually prevailed. In Little League, we made it to the championship, in the Soccer League, we came back from trailing 2-0 to win, and when the doctor told me it'd be a full year before I might have the possibility to play sports again, I was trying out for the basketball team after 6 weeks.

The truth of the matter is that anything can be overcome with a proper state of mind. The past can't be changed, but your state of mind can. Accept that something happened, and move on. However, don't FORGET that it happened because it is important to learn something from these moments, So keep a good head on your shoulders, learn something, and eventually you will develop great character.

1000. "You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over."

"You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over." -Sir Richard Branson


This quote is actually what inspired me to start this blog. I'm currently at a point in my life (senior year of college) where I am going to be faced with many challenges. I'm going to be entering the 'real world' for the first time, starting a new life soon wherever my job takes me, and meeting new people everyday. I started reading more books in an attempt to 'grow up'. Currently I'm reading 'Business Stripped Bare' by Richard Branson and I stumbled upon this quote.


This quote immediately stuck out to me. In order to get somewhere in life, you have to try. Your endeavors might not always be successful but if you keep at them, eventually you will learn. And that is the biggest take-aways from this quote. Challenge yourself, and don't be afraid to fail. However, when you fail you have to be able to pick yourself up and try again and learn from your mistakes. This quote doesn't mean that you should break the rules and be a rebel, but rather that you shouldn't be afraid of taken the path less traveled. You don't have to fit into a certain algorithm of successes. Learn from your mistakes, dive head first (with some research) into things, and continue to strive for excellence.


This is my first real blog, and I am certainly diving right in, so my posts might not always be great reads, or fancy, or edited properly, but I promise I will learn along the way, listen to my readers and hopefully by the end, will have something special to be proud of.