There will be instant regret in realizing there was a person you could have become.

The First:

40 years from now, you’re going to look back and wish you had taken the reins of your life. Filled with sorrow and regret, you’re going to look at the positives, but still have the lingering remains of what could have been.

The Second:

40 years from now, you’ll have achieved everything you set out to do. You’ll have visited the all places you dreamt of, started the business you were so passionate about, and you’ll have built a legacy that will continue to thrive for years to come.

One day you’re going to wake up and realize that your greatest opportunity has passed, that is, unless you do something about it. It’s important to keep a keen eye open to everything we’re presented with, as we should do our best to recognize the opportunities placed in front of us. Every day we make choices that affect us. Some big, some small. And it’s the decisions we make that shape our lives.​

It seems that the more work and more risk, the higher probability of hesitation and ultimately the absence of an attempt. That’s why you need to get past the idea of fear of putting in the work and taking chances.

You need to ask yourself: Are you motivated to succeed, or are you motivated to avoid failure? Because they’re very different things.

Being motivated to succeed means that you have an intrinsic desire to be better. It means that you’ll do anything in your power to come out on top, because even though you’ll have times that you come up short, you won’t be afraid because you know you can always get up and try again.

Being motivated to avoid failure means that you’ll do whatever it is in your power to stay away from the things that truly challenge you. If the prospect of failing at something outweighs the chance of success, you’ll err on the side of caution and not even attempt it, because you want to avoid the potential for failure.​

In short, you’re avoiding action because you have a fear of falling short.

Inaction guarantees you’ll fall short. Every. Single. Time.

Remember this: The man who has zero attempts and zero failures, also has zero successes. But the man who has 100 attempts and 99 failures still has more success than the man who didn’t attempt anything at all.

Adopt the Memento Mori Mindset:​

As the translation tells us remember that you must die, rest easy in knowing that your failures, embarrassments, and inadequacies will all eventually be in the past. It’s up to you to make the most of what you have right now, because you’ll never get this chance again.