I saw something in my daughter a couple of weeks ago that reminded me of myself, and it hurt my heart a little.
She declined to participate in an activity that everyone knew she would enjoy. When asked why, she said, "I'll be too embarrassed." I told her right there that if she goes through life not doing stuff because she's worried about what other's think, she was going to have a pretty boring life (OK, OK. I know - bad father layin' it on so heavy to a 6 year old...I get it.).
The thing is, after I said it I realized I've lived my life in much the same way I was warning her against. I've been so emotionally devastated by embarrassment that I've resisted taking the big risks necessary to get the big payoffs; recognition, wealth, a feeling of accomplishment, or the eye of a pretty girl (right - as is the case for my ilk, the libido got me over the hump on the last one).
The other day I saw a video from Honda that put some of these things into perspective.
It inspired me to begin saying "yes" more. Take this site for instance (the one you're on at this very moment). I had been half-heartedly dabbling in the thing for months. More than anything I was worried that those who visited it would think me...I don't know...dumb, untalented, borderline institution-able (insert obligatory quip here). After watching the Honda video, and remembering the things Steve Jobs said in my fist blog entry, I decided to really make a run of it. We'll see how it goes. But one thing's for sure, I'm determined to prove the advice I gave my daughter true - failure is not failure; it's simply a benchmark by which to measure our eventual successes.
Now if you would be so kind, go to the BetaBook and give it a try. The worst best that can happen is you fail.
Best,
Sid.