About this quote

Most people paralyze themselves before they even step up to the plate because they focus entirely on the embarrassment of failure. You worry about what your colleagues or friends will say if you fall flat on your face. But what is the actual cost of staying safe on the sidelines? You save yourself some temporary discomfort, but you guarantee that you never build anything real. Accept the messiness of a bad attempt and take the shot anyway.

When to use it

• I almost backed out of pitching my startup idea to those angel investors because I was terrified of being laughed at, but I forced myself to walk into the boardroom.
• You want to sign up for your first amateur marathon but worry you will finish dead last in front of a crowd, so you register anyway and start training.
• My coworker was too scared to apply for the department head position because she lacked one minor qualification, so I told her to throw her hat in the ring anyway.