Passivity not good

Sometimes life feels as if it would be easiest if we do just enough to get by; maybe it would be easier to avoid rejection, to hold back and not give our best simply because we might not succeed even if we do try.

But by passively seeking our goals, we suffocate hope but not the dream, not the desire, merely the fulfillment to the question of whether we could have attained success. Passivity is the lifeblood of disappointment. It allows our dreams to die a slow death and increases the burden we carry by distancing us from our purpose.

The passage of time does not mean that we have abandoned our interest in an unattained goal. We’ve simply allowed it to linger like a flickering flame in an airtight room. It will never burn to its full potential unless we open the door. Unless we make an effort, our ambition will eventually die out without ever having the chance it deserved.

As children, we are allowed to dream our way through the world. As adults, it is better for us to burn a dream down by failing miserably in the pursuit or honestly cast it aside rather than leave it flickering in our imagination with only the faintest chance of realization.

How many people do we know who wanted to pursue a career, but shrugged it off as impossible or unrealistic? Did they really put the dream aside, or does it still remain quietly unfulfilled? How many of us want to do something but don’t because we are afraid we will fail? There are friends around us who believe we have greater potential than we give ourselves credit for, and then there are those who doubt and never give us a chance.

There is very little in this world that is certain and very little that we must accept. But if we never step forward, if we keep our aspirations to ourselves, certainty’s hold on our lives increases.

Though we might be inclined toward passivity, the world around us does not favor that tendency. It is not led by people who are passive. The world is led by those who envision what they want and pursue it, the people who accept a difficult challenge rather than waiting for the ideal situation.

“If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them” (Henry David Thoreau).

If we want that promotion, we have to make it known; if we want to be a leader, we have to step forward in difficult times; if we want to be an actor, we must be willing to step out onto the stage; if we want to be a political figure, we must have the courage to believe in ourselves when very few will.

Life is about going from point A to point B, but to get there we must be willing to commit ourselves. We must push ahead in an aggressive world even if we feel intimidated.

If we want to be a success, we have to be willing to start at the bottom, where it is most difficult. We must never let doubt hold us back from the pursuit of our purpose.

We must have the confidence to motivate ourselves before others encourage us. To persuade others to believe in us, we must demonstrate our belief in ourselves.