Failure is an important part of success. Hockey great Wayne Gretzky said, “You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” How true. This statement recognizes that people are seriously afraid to fail. Similarly, people are seriously afraid to have someone tell them they failed or did something incorrectly. The fact is that most people are afraid of criticism, even when it is constructive criticism.

Because of this, a large percentage of the population would rather live in a bubble where they do enough to get by, but not take risks that can lead them to another level and greater success. You may ask why people would not try their best to succeed, but many people are comfortable flying under the radar only doing what is needed and nothing more. Again, people do not like to hear negative feedback or reviews regarding their work or actions, ignoring that it is as hard to provide constructive negative feedback as it is to take it. You can learn from constructive negative feedback in ways that “success” from maintaining the status quo will never provide.

The truth is that if you have not failed, you are not trying to be your best self. If you are okay with maintaining the status quo, but not improving, keep doing the same thing and you will continue to have the same results. But you do so at your own peril because while you stay in your bubble, someone more aggressive, willing to take risks, younger, or different will come along and pass you by. Maybe this won’t bother you, but will you really be okay with it when those people pass you by and later leave you in the dust?

Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Do one thing every day that scares you.” What scares each of us is different. Maybe it is setting aside five to ten minutes each morning to call someone from your list of contacts or whom you want to connect with just to say “Hi” and stay in their mind. Maybe it is arranging a coffee meeting or lunch with someone you met, but don’t really know, who could lead you to new business or good connections. Maybe it is agreeing to be a presenter at a seminar. Maybe it is asking people for business. It can take limitless forms, but each day you don’t do something that scares you is another day you stay in place not striving to do better. Is that what you really want?