I still remember the day I stood in the Franklin Covey store looking at this sign. I was early in my photography business. I was scared. This sign hit me like a ton of bricks.
“What would you attempt to do if you knew you could not fail?”
I’m not a heart surgeon. Failure does not mean a patient dying on my table. I was a wedding photographer, so failing if I missed a key shot is a big deal, but no one dies. (I’ve photographed well over 100 weddings, and I can count “missed” shots now on my fingers, it is that rare.)
This quote alone has opened a world of possibilities for me. It has given me permission to try, because when you face it head on? Failure isn’t that bad. Maybe a few days of being upset? Some lost money? But the potential gain from trying new things! Oh, it makes me giddy with possibility!
Money was tight when I saw that sign, and I left the store without it. I couldn’t stop thinking about it though, so I called them and had them hold it for me and I went back to purchase it the next day. Over 5 years have passed, and it is still visibly on display, and it makes me smile every time I read it.
2 replies on “My Favorite Quote…”
I wonder what a physician does with her head when she makes a mistake and someone suffers dire consequences.
I have many favorite quotes. I even have a plug in that will show them rotating on my site 🙂 I’m always looking for new ones. The one I keep in my signature is my current favorite:
“I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy.”
~ J.D. Salinger
It reminds me to start with the belief that people are intrinsically motivated to do something good, even if it doesn’t always end up that way. It’s easier to work through things when you don’t assume people are trying to ruin your day. 🙂