Fortune favours the bold
/Writers will tell you never to use them but I have to confess: I love clichés. They’re concise and you can always find a perfect one for any situation. Take my title, for instance. I repeated it to myself just before I did something I was a teensy bit nervous about.
Possibly too bold.
I took a breath, told myself, ‘Fortune favours the bold’, and knocked on the closed door. What did I need to do? It was so simple and yet I needed that 4-word pep talk. The guy on the other side of the door is a bit intimidating, though I’ve seen evidence that disproves my perception of him. What I had to say would benefit him but he could have said no – that’s why I was tempted to walk out the other door. I heard shuffling and the door opened. Mr. Intimidating was on the phone. Oh no! But he said right away, ‘Oh, it’s okay, I’m on hold.’ So I just said what I had to say, even looking him in the eye for part of it. “Hey, I wrote this thing and I think you’d like to read it. Would you like me to send it to you?’
And then – FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BOLD – he said, ‘I’d love to read it.’ Ka-boom, another win for clichés!
Some of you wouldn’t need to remind yourself that fortune favours the bold in this situation. But I needed to put myself ‘out there’ and risk rejection. Even small rejections seem scary but what’s scarier is living a life with no chance for growth.
If your dad would say, ‘that’s character building’, you’re on the right track
We’ve all got areas in life where we’re aching to grow, stretch and improve. Our efforts don’t all work out, but rejection and failure are essential to growth. I know it’s hard to force myself outside of my comfort zone so I imagine it’s hard for you too, however large your comfort zone may be.
So, next time you want to walk out the door – the door that represents cowardice and settling – remember that the right cliché won’t let you down. And even if the answer is ‘no’, you can console yourself with this gem of a Japanese proverb, ‘Fall seven times, stand up eight.’
I'm Andrea Bassett, an executive ghostwriter and content marketing writer in Toronto and I’ve spent the last decade serving executives.
I write thought leadership content marketing for executives and/or their content marketing teams. My specializations are corporate wellness, benefits, employee assistance programs, leadership & coaching, encryption & cybersecurity and strength training for seniors.
To talk about a content marketing project, call me at 647-502-3187 or send a note to andrea@redsailwriters.com.
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