HAVE THE COURAGE TO TAKE THE FIRST STEP!

Quite a few years ago, I was enjoying an afternoon in the park
with a couple of friends of mine. One of my friends had brought
her dog, and as we were playing Frisbee, another dog came out of
nowhere and started viciously attacking my friend's dog. One of
my friends, Mark, reacted instantly, running to the dogs and
managing to beat off the attacking dog and causing it to run
away.

What did I do during that momentary instant of chaos? I froze. I
stood there. I just stood there, watching the whole thing. Even
now, even though it was a minor incident taking place 10 years
ago, I still look back at that moment with shame. I resolved that
I would never let fear keep me from taking action when action was
needed. With a few exceptions (of course), I like to think that
I've been able to live up to this resolution.

I think this lesson has an important parallel in business and
marketing. One of the factors that keeps a lot of people from
succeeding is the fact that we are usually afraid to push our
limits. That means we end up taking the safe route and never
understanding what we are truly capable of.

Take, for instance, starting a home business. Most people have
dreamed of owning their own business, or at least supplementing
their income with a side venture. However, 99% of those people
don't take the risk to actually take the first step. They are
afraid that they will lose money, or that they will fail, or that
they will just look silly.

Well, first off, there are ways of beginning a business with very
little money, especially if you don't mind starting off small. As
for the fear of failing, so what? Failing is not something that
you should be ashamed of -- instead, you should be proud that you
had the courage to try. The same goes for "looking silly" -- who
is sillier, the person who tries something innovative and
creative, or the person who sits back and does nothing? I know
what my answer is to THAT question.

I'm not trying to be a Tony Robbins here and say that you can
achieve anything you want just by visualizing it -- all I'm
saying is that NO ONE should be afraid to try to achieve their
dreams. I'm not advocating quitting your job and sinking all your
savings into junk bonds -- but don't let fear keep you from
exploring all your avenues. Sure, you may have some regrets, but
then again, you may end up praising the day that you decided to
act. If you just sit back and do nothing, it is much more likely
that you will have regrets later in your life.