Standing of the Precipice Essay example

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Standing on the Precipice

He who fears being conquered is sure of defeat – Napoleon Bonaparte

When standing on the precipice of a major decision there are three directions one can go; up, down or backwards. Too often when faced with this decision, doubts and fears cause us to back out for fear of going down rather than up. Napoleon Bonaparte’s comment that ‘he who fears being conquered is sure of defeat,’ came from a different era however is still pertinent to today’s society. In today increasingly competitive and egocentric environment it is paramount that people develop confidence in their own abilities to lose the fear of making decisions and have the chance to succeed.

Little in life is black and white, complications, fears and self-doubt all play into the decision making process. It is the handling of these factors that separates those who will go forward for the chance to improve from those who will retreat. The process of thinking that leads to the retreat from making a decision can become our greatest enemy. Though the want to succeed is there, the fear of failure is greater. Consequently as Thomas Hall stated ‘half of the failures in life come from pulling one’s horse when he is leaping.’ Individuals that are willing to take the leap and go for what they want have the chance to go upwards but at worst are going forwards.

The notion of failure being a negative is deeply ingrained in society today and in some cases it is. When we fail to act and retreat from a decision this is negative. However when we overcome this fear or self doubt and the outcome is not as predicted this is arguably a successful result. In moving forward and making a decision we can learn from our mistakes and improve for next time. Though it is perhaps preferable to learn from the mistakes of others at times one must go out on a limb and learn for themselves. Regardless of the outcome you will be better for it. As hockey coach Wayne Gretzky stated ‘you miss 100% of the shots you don't take,’ which applies to life and re-enforces the idea in a simplistic manner than to succeed you must try. The actual result of not achieving the desired outcome needs to be strongly considered against the result of inaction.

However it can be seen that there are situations where the result of inaction or backing out would be perceived as the right option. The fears that prevent people from making decisions come from somewhere in the health field it could be fear of litigation or doing harm. Though it is all well and good to say that backing away from a decision will remove the chance to go forward, if appropriate
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