“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” ⏤Benjamin Franklin

What would you do if you knew you would not fail? This is a question in the same family as: “What would you do if you won the lottery?” It’s an interesting and thought-provoking question well worth giving some thought to. If you knew that whatever you undertook would be successful, that everything you touched would turn to gold, what would you do? Since fear of failure is at the root of so many dreams deferred (or shelved), it’s a worthwhile thought exercise to remove failure from the equation completely and see what’s left. A few of the more obvious paths are outlined below. Perhaps it’s worth stepping on the path to something new, even without the guarantee of success.

The Opposite

This is making an abrupt turn and walking in a completely different direction in life. Almost everyone knows of a doctor, lawyer, or CEO who leaves their profession mid-career to become a teacher or to run a nonprofit. The reverse happens as well, where teachers become doctors, musicians become lawyers, and every other transformation imaginable. Though it looks and feels extreme, if your true passion takes you in the opposite direction of your current life, so be it. As far as one can tell, all evidence points to this being your one and only life, and only you get to lead it.

Next Level

This is taking your current life to the next level. How content is the person who loves their current life and whose primary goal is to simply refine it and grow within it? Content indeed! On this path, look for books, classes, podcasts, seminars, mentors, and other opportunities to continue learning every facet of your chosen field. This is about mastery, about going beyond what you have to know to knowing it all. This is about excellence and is a good reminder that transformation can happen through inward growth, not just through outward change.

Parallel Tracks

This is making a lateral move, a step over, to where you can still see your former life but are headed to your destination in a slightly different way. An example of this could be someone working in publishing making technology books, who decides to let creativity blossom by creating a newsletter for friends and family, lol. Use the skills that earn you a living to do things that have no financial component to them whatsoever⏤things that can be done simply for the pleasure of doing them. If other people enjoy them as well, that is just an extra dollop of joy, a fringe benefit.

Copyright 2023 Kesel Wilson (entirely, 100% human-created)

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