The Consequence Of Inaction Is Always Greater Than The Consequence From Action

I haven’t been alive too long, but I’ve just noticed that taking action has less of a damaging effect than not taking action. It may damage you financially, but over time, you may come to recover that money. But on the whole, here’s what I mean:

A lot of people are afraid of taking action and executing because they feel they’re going to mess up and diminish their self-image, destroy their financial standing, or some other type of fear.

If you’re relatively young, this is bullshit. As a young person you have little to destroy, so the field is prime for taking action and taking (calculated) risks.

In life, things naturally fall apart. This process is called entropy. All systems eventually head towards chaos if not consciously maintained by some type of external influence.

What does this look like?

• The girl you like will inevitably be asked out by someone else because you didn’t make a move
• The job you didn’t apply for will be filled by someone else who had similar credentials
• The study abroad trip you didn’t go on will not be a highlight of your college career like it was for so many others
• The stock you didn’t invest in will never have a chance to contribute to extra income or your retirement fund
• The business you didn’t start will never have a chance to emerge in the market and compete to see if it is a valid idea/service
• The workouts you never do will not transform you into a lean and fit person.

In all of these cases, the burden of trying is much lower than the burden of not trying.

The girl might reject you. You might not get the job. You might hate the study abroad trip. The stock may crash and fail. Your business likewise may crash and fail. Finally, you may never become super jacked like Frank Zane or Steve Reeves.

But it’s better to capitalize on windows of opportunity and just sit back saying “I’ll do it tomorrow” when we all know that tomorrow never comes.

If you play, you may very well lose. Or you may win. Who knows? But if you don’t play, you will never win.

Don’t confuse risk with a gamble, though. A gamble is jumping off a cliff without a parachute hoping you’ll survive. A risk is jumping off a cliff with a massive body of water at the bottom.

Be risky, don’t be stupid.

– iamsmcamp