Out of all the things that have made America great, I believe our greatest success stories have come not from the will to succeed; but rather, from the fear of failure. Let me explain.
In the history of America, many stories exist that detail one man’s, one woman’s, one family’s, one race’s, one generation’s rising the social and economic ladder to add their name to the history books as another American success story. Opportunity for all has been a staple of this country since we toppled the giant arm of monarchical rule over 200 years ago. But behind every success story has been a driving force that some may not always think about at first: the fear of failure.
When our Founding Fathers signed their names for King George III to see, these colonists were not only motivated by the dream of living in a free market society; they must have been encouraged by the plain and simple fear of failure. Failure for them meant embarrassment for their family, loss of their property, and most likely death. However, despite this fear, our Founders and thousands of colonial soliders and families chose to stand up to their fears of the powerful British Kingdom and create a free society built on freedom principles and inherited rights.
Over 200 years later, American success stories have been a testament to the power of freedom. But the freedom to succeed could not have been possible without the risk and fear of failure. To be continued…
