I still remember the terror in my heart as I approached a woman with the most beautiful blonde hair and blue eyes I’d ever seen.
For all the talk and false bravado that goes on among young males in locker rooms and elsewhere, I had zero self-confidence when it came to asking girls out. I’d struggled with self-hatred and low self-esteem my entire life, especially around women.
And here, on the dance floor inside a smoky blues bar, just a few months after I’d turned 21 years old, I was approaching the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
And I was going to ask her to dance.
Her blue eyes met mine, and I about fell to the floor. The music was rolling over us in waves, hypnotizing me under the flashing lights.
“I used to feel so alone in the city. All those gazillions of people and then me, on the outside. Because how do you meet a new person? I was very stunned by this for many years. And then I realized, you just say, ‘Hi.’ They may ignore you. Or you may marry them. And that possibility is worth that one word.”
– Augusten Burroughs
I’d met her at a party earlier that night, and she’d actually spoken to me first. Maybe that’s what I needed for this moment, because I was laying it on the line.
At every high school dance I’d ever been to, I was always too scared to ask girls to dance. I’d always stood on the sidelines, watching as couples paired up on the cafeteria floor during slow songs. I remember wanting to dig a hole and hide, feeling like a total loser.
Not tonight. This time, I was going for it. I was going to swing for the fences.
She smiled at me as I approached.
I asked her to dance.
She said yes.
We got married.
I still wake up next to Sara each morning, now 17 years after we met, and pinch myself.
What is this gorgeous blonde doing in my bedroom? Did she really say yes? Is this just a dream? If it is, please don’t wake me up!
It’s Worth It
You will never get what you want in business or life without taking risk. There’s no way around it.
And, if you’re like me, the risk is half the fun. I love jumping into an adventure, taking a shot, dreaming big, and swinging for the fences.
Russell Wilson is one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, having won a Super Bowl in only his second season in the league. In order to reach that pinnacle, he had to overcome constant skepticism – he was considered too short to be a good NFL quarterback, he wasn’t committed enough (Wilson was also drafted by Major League Baseball teams) to just one sport, his arm wasn’t strong enough to make all the necessary football throws, etc.
Growing up, Wilson’s father used to say to him, “Russ, why not you?” when talking about the possibility of playing in the NFL and winning a Super Bowl.
So let me ask the same thing: Why not you?
Seriously. Why not?
Everybody starts out the same in this life. Everybody ends the same. What happens in between is limited only by our thoughts, beliefs and effort.
Are you ready to do this?
