There is no victory without failure. There is no courage absent of reluctance. A story has no triumph if not for a fall.
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NO DELUSION HERE
This is not the religion of positive thinking. I do not bless you with unholy delusion. I do not read scriptures of the impossible. I do not teach the improbable because it is possible. I am not the Shepard herding you to imaginary green fields. I am here for something else. I am here to touch you with reality. Extend your finger. I will show you what success feels like.
Success is not money.
Money will never be a measure of anyone's success.
Like a cook. I know the ingredients. I understand the measurement. Each one goes into the recipe with precision.
How I feel is irrelevant. How I think is not a factor. The results are the same.
BRAVERY IS NOT SCARY IT IS FULFILLING
The Oxford Handbook Topics in Psychology discuss a compelling perception. A person's ability to act in fear with physical courage or bravery is linked to increased resilience, decreased PTSD-related symptomatology, and greater feelings of personal competence.
The hesitance you feel is not a sign not to act. The resistance is a prompt to increase your resilience and become more competent.
Be brave. Do not cower. There is an increase in character waiting on the other side of your actions.
STATISTICS ARE REAL
We must understand numbers. The results of the world are tangible. Failure rates exist. The commonality among all people is true. Mindset is a small variable.
This is not the religion of positive thinking. I do not bless you with unholy delusion.
Many sell hope. I am not here to sell hope. I am here to gift you truth.
Data from the BLS (US Bureau of Labor Statistics) shows approximately 20% of new businesses fail during the first two years. 45% fail during the first five years. 65% fail during the first 10 years.
Only 25% of new businesses make it to 15 years or more (Source: BLS).
I am not negative. I am positive. I am always a cup half full person. Read on to understand.
FEAR IS REAL
Fear is a function of the body, as it responds to changes, to facilitate coping with an adverse or unexpected situation (5). Fear is a biological evolved instinct to perceive threat to increase survival. Fear will always reside. The reluctance we experience is reality. The mind understands risk. Fight or flight is a real component to humans.
How I feel is irrelevant. How I think is not a factor. The results are the same.
The statistics above are not imaginary. It helps no one to marginalize failure rates. We cannot ignore them. True, many failures hold similarities. I do not contest this.
What I am contesting about failure is to shift our perspective. We should look at things differently.
Among failures, I am sure they share a commonality. Many think negatively.
The catch?
I know many people who succeed in business who think negatively.
What gives?
Your perspective must change to understand why two similarly negative people have such different results.
BRAVERY
Bravery is action despite fear. Cowardice is inaction in fear. Fearless people feel nothing.
A brave person musters courage. A coward refuses courage. A fearless person simply looks and blinks with indifference.
Most will find it impossible to be fearless. There is a trigger in our mind. This trigger must turn off. Physiologically we must change internally. Fear is part of our natural evolution as humans (5). Fear is a necessary survival instinct(5).
Most are not capable of biological evolutional control. It is like saying you will command your body to not feel hunger. Let me know in the comments when you discover biological manipulation. I am intrigued by the idea (I am not delusional of it though).
We cannot control fear nor can we manage it. We must be courageous and learn to act in fear. This is courage.
I prefer to muster courage.
COURAGE DOES NOT REQUIRE SUCCESS
Courage is defined as persistence or perseverance despite having fear. It takes courage to engage and persist in a terrifying activity(6). Go big or go home does not need to exist with a brave person. The effort is enough. Most failure comes from inaction. I challenge you to discover the surprising success rate of trying.
A master has failed more than a beginner has tried.
The odds of success if you do nothing are zero. The odds of success if you try increase. The odds of success if you apply effort increase more. The odds of success if you consistently try with effort are higher. The odds of success if you never stop your effort are highest.
Successful people are courageous. We are brave. We persist in failure. This is why we succeed.
I PLAY ODDS YOU SHOULD TOO
Nothing is one hundred percent. A fool deludes themselves to this idea. In the National Basketball Association (NBA) a three-point shot is always less than fifty percent (50%) probability action.
Great shooters average just above thirty percent (30%).
Some players are recruited for no other reason than a 3-point shot.
Larry Bird is considered one of the best three pointers of all time. Bird scored 24.3 points per game in his career on a .496 field goal percentage, an .886 free throw percentage, and a .376 percentage on three-point shots (Source NBA).
This person is largely remembered by his success rate of less than forty percent (40%). Essentially a coin flip was more probable than Bird.
A master has failed more than a beginner has tried.
Bird is immortalized as a legend.
HEROES TREAD A PROBABLE PATH
I think we need to realize odds of success do not require high chance. You will hit a shot if you keep shooting. You just need the numbers of effort to reflect your total points.
Successful people are courageous. We are brave. We persist in failure. This is why we succeed.
The path will be difficult. Many will tear you down. Slander will be common. Sometimes people will seek your destruction.
Bravery is required. Courage is a perquisite. Success is only an odds game. You must keep playing. The game of life is a hard one. The hand dealt not always fair. This unfairness is meant to test your integrity. Good character in convenience means little.
Bravery is found only in fear. We fear what harms us. This path is full of people, places and things which will harm you. Be brave.
To Your Knowledge Success!
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Sources:
1) The life of Christopher Knight Lopez a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”.
2) Bureau of Labor Statistics. Web Address: https://www.bls.gov. Accessed 9 April 2023.
3) National Basketball Association (NBA). NBA Stats. Web Address: https://www.nba.com/stats. Accessed 9 April 2023.
4) Oxford Academic. "Psychology of Physical Bravery".Uri Kugel, Catherine Hausman, Laurie Black, Bruce Bongar. Published July 2017. Accessed 19 April 2023.
5) Dialogues Clin Neurosci. 2002 Sep; 4(3): 231–249. "The biology of fear- and anxiety related behaviors". Thierry Steimer, PhD. Accessed 19 April 2023.
6) J Anxiety Disord. 2009 Mar; 23(2): 212–217. "The Role of Courage on Behavioral Approach in a Fear-Eliciting Situation: A Proof-of-Concept Pilot Study". Peter J. Norton, Ph.D. and Brandon J. Weiss, B.S. Accessed 19 April 2023.
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Not a form of investment advice. Please consult a professional registered to give you advice about your individual circumstance. This article is for educational purposes and entertainment purposes only. Please do not email the author about advice on investing or strategies on making investments.
About Christopher: Christopher Knight Lopez is a Professional Hustler turned International Best Seller and Published Author of “I Made It Then I Didn’t”. Christopher has opened over 7 businesses in his 15-year career. Christopher’s purpose is to take advantage of various market-driven opportunities. Christopher is a certified Master Project Manager (MPM), and Accredited Financial Analyst (AFA). Christopher previously held his Series 65 securities license examination and was a Master Financial Planner (MFP). Christopher also held his General Lines — Life, Accident, Health & HMO. Christopher has managed a combined 286mm USD in reported Assets Under Management & Assets Under Advisement. Christopher has work experience in 33 countries, raised over 50mm USD for various businesses, and grossed over 13.0mm in his personal career. Christopher worked in the highly technical industries of: biotechnology, finance, securities, manufacturing, real estate, and residential mortgages. Christopher is a United States Air Force Veteran. Christopher has a passion for family, competitive sports, fishing, martial arts and advocacy for entrepreneurs. Christopher provides self-help classes for up-and-coming entrepreneurs. Christopher’s passion to mentor comes from belief that entrepreneurs need guidance. The world is full of conflicting information about entrepreneur identity. See more atwww.christopherklopez.com.