Dare To Go After Success In Spite of Your Fears

by Rene Godefroy

Most of us are so intoxicated by our failures and fears that they cause us to be stuck in situations we absolutely hate. Yes, you read it right. We continue to stay in jobs we don't like because of our fears. We continue to stay in abusive relationships that are literally sucking the life out of us because of our fears. Fears are the reason we never attempt to live out our dreams.

Did you know that you and I do everything within our power to avoid pain? Yep. All of us want to be happy and feel good. And few of us are willing to be hurt, disappointed, rejected, or turned down.

We are allergic to failure. Thus, we are afraid to step out and take a risk. Here's what you might want to know: if you are not failing right now, your chances of ever getting what you want are slim to none.

You see, successful people are not successful because they spend their entire lives avoiding fear or being hurt. As a matter of fact, they are successful because they confront it. They live on the edge and dare to do the things they are afraid of. Can you remember the last time you tried something that scared the living daylights out of you? If you can't, your dream will always be just a dream.

The first time I gave a speech was very painful for me. I was so nervous and afraid. My heart pounded as if it were a horse galloping. Today, one would never even imagine I was an extremely shy and introverted guy who once was so afraid of public speaking. Let me tell you, I bombed many times. Now people comment about how natural I am on stage. Why? Well, it's because I didn't give up.

What audacity! I was the Haitian immigrant in Miami who didn't speak any English. I mopped floors at the malls food court, dug holes, and worked as a carpenter's helper. Then I moved to Atlanta. I worked at a warehouse loading trucks. Later, I became a doorman at a hotel. Then I had the audacity to step out and try to be a Motivational Speaker . Do you understand how terrified I was?

I guess I was somewhat naive to think Coca-Cola, Bell-South, and other companies would ever put me on a stage in front of their people. Honestly, to this day, there are still some words I can't pronounce well. Two weeks ago, I was doing an interview with Selling Power magazine. The writer asked me what my secret was. Well, let me share it with you. It's actually one word: Persistence.

As you know, life will throw you some tough punches. It will even knock you down at times. Some of you that are reading this right now are down. Yet others may have just received a big and painful blow and are about to fall down. Don't cry and give up. The secret is to pick yourself up and try again.

Here's something you might want to keep in mind: Take time to learn from others what to do and how to do it. Back in my impoverished village in Haiti, my great grandmother Stephane used say, the bitter the tea, the faster it heals you. And so, there's an opportunity to learn, grow and be healed through pain.

You can either cry or try again. Now some people might suggest that I am not walking in their shoes. Believe me, I know what it is to be broke, in debt, to be starving and sick, and to cry at funerals.

I understand your pain. But the best way to show compassion is to tell you to come out of your foetal position of depression and press on. So let this be your motto: If it's not going to kill me or make me physically ill, I’ll give it a try. We don't really fail at anything. We simply fail to make it work.