“Never stop because you are afraid – you are never so likely to be wrong.”
Fridtjof Nansen – Norwegian explorer – Nobel Peace Prize winner
Have you ever driven up a snowy mountain road, dense with trees and switchback corners? It can be thrilling, exhausting, and terrifying all at once. You can do nothing but grip the steering wheel and focus. Time stretches out. You wonder when you’ll reach the summit or slip off the pavement. Are you on the right road? Suddenly, out of the blue, there’s a break in the trees and in one gorgeous stretch along a ridge, you’re given an amazing view. At once you see how far you’ve come and the valleys below.
This is more or less how it feels to be in the thick of a project, isn’t it? Whether it’s a marketing plan for your business, a harrowing short-sale, or a total tear-out renovation, the reward comes from sticking it out. Growing up, my family, coaches, and teachers would often say, “Don’t be afraid. Just keep going.” At the time, I wasn’t appreciative of the advice. It took time to understand what they were trying to teach me.
There’s great temptation to give up when you are afraid or the way seems virtually impossible. When I reflect on my successes and failures, the common element is whether or not I stuck it out past the point I thought there was no reason to carry on.
Are you really close to turning the proverbial corner? A change of habit, testing a new idea, refining a plan… all are ways of “hanging in there.” Don’t give up. You may think it’s too late for things to work out, but in fact, it’s just too early to quit.
Photo credit: Damian Morys Foto
