The Only Way To Know If It Works
Or If You Like It Is To Try It

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Published by Rachelle Disbennett-Lee
Thursday, January 31, 2002
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There are times when the only way you will know if something works is to try it. The problem is that many people are afraid of what they perceive as failure so unless they can be guaranteed that it will work, they won't try.

Think of all the things that would not exist if someone had made the first attempt. Most inventions would not be with us today. To invent, the inventor must be willing to fail over and over until she or he finally discovers success. Think about all the food we would never taste if someone had not been willing to take the first bite. I often wonder who was the first brave enough to eat an artichoke.

What stops us from trying new things is fear. It can be fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, or fear of the unknown. Fear comes in many varieties. What we have to ask ourselves is what is to be feared most, the fear of failing or the fear of not trying?

Coaching

Don't let fear stop you from trying new things. The only way to know if it works or if you like it is to try it. I remember when I was little and I didn't want to eat vegetables. My parents would make me take one bite. I was actually surprised that I usually liked the vegetable after I tried it. Peas were an exception. For the most part, the vegetables were better than I thought they would be. Life is like a plate of vegetables. In order to know if you like it, you have to try it.

There are things that we don't want to try. If something were dangerous or illegal, we certainly would want to avoid the consequences of trying those. But most things are not life threatening or a felony. What we fear most is often change, new experiences, job changes, or doing something new that is out of our comfort zone. Life brings opportunity everyday to try something new and experience the exhilaration of stepping out of the ordinary.

Just because you try something once doesn't mean you will have to do it for the rest of your life. If you don't like it you don't have to do it again.

Daily Success Formula

Trying something new + Willingness to fail = Possibilities

Quotes

"In trying to make something new, half the undertaking lies in discovering whether it can be done. Once it has been established that it can, duplication is inevitable." Helen Gahagan Douglas

"The hardest thing in life to learn is which bridge to cross and which to burn." David Russell