You'll Never Know If You Never Try
We hear the phrase “You’ll never know if you never try” fairly often throughout our lives. The interesting thing about this phrase is the different ways it can be interpreted.
To those that want to try new things and see where their skills lie, this is a mantra to keep them evolving and learning and growing. I’ll never know if I don’t try, so I’m going to try it all!
To those that may be afraid to fail or be seen as a beginner, this is a phrase that gives them a (false) sense of security. If I never try, then I’ll never know if I’m bad/not skilled/lacking knowledge/need practice/have room to grow/need help/etc. These people can choose to live in their areas of comfort and well-honed knowledge, because that’s where they know, and knowing is nice.
When it comes to trying new things, the only thing that’s guaranteed is that you won’t know everything. You might not know anything to begin with! That’s a scary feeling to those that are risk-averse (no matter the perceived size of the risk), and they’d rather not try. Never try, never know! I’ll keep living in my bubble where I know all the things. Yay for me.
I prefer to live in the first category, where I try and fail and learn and grow and evolve. I have worked in so many different industries throughout my life, including food and beverage, special events, weddings, theme parks, software, coding bootcamps, museums, call centers, youth day camps, sorority recruitment, intramural sports, and more. Did I have resounding success in all of these industries? Absolutely not. Some of these I didn’t last more than a couple months in (cough cough…call centers. PSA: be nice to the people that work in call centers, that life is a tough one.) and some I spent years in. What was important to me was learning how to be a beginner in a new industry and sharpen my skill set through new experiences. Was it always comfortable? Nope - I shed many tears in every one of these industries. Was it worth it? Absolutely - I grew stronger and more knowledgeable and more confident.
I remember when I was nearing the end of my 8+ year special events career and was weighing the pros and cons of switching to the technology field. A big pro was there is more money in technology. A big con was that I had no idea what I was getting into, and I would have a massive learning curve. A big pro was expanding my communication and management skills into a new field with new types of professional personalities. A big con was leaving a job I knew I excelled at and was respected for. If you know my story, you know I took the leap and went into technology for the next 5 years.
I spent those years in technology learning and growing and being challenged and being disciplined and seizing opportunity and taking on more responsibility. I grew so much during this time, and none of that would have been possible if I’d stayed in events where I “knew everything”. I grew a lot and I sacrificed a lot, and then my next choice to try something new came around. That choice was to leave my job that no longer served me, or not. Let’s do another round of pros and cons for leaving this job. A big pro was that I’d no longer be in a job that exhausted me in all the wrong ways. A big con was walking away from a six figure job. A big pro was giving myself the opportunity to rest and reflect and figure out what I WANTED from life. A big con was stepping into the unknown with zero maps and zero directions. Again, if you know my story, you know I left that job and have never looked back since.
Since leaving that job, I’ve massively developed my mindset, self-awareness, communication skills, and writing by focusing on my personal growth. I’ve since started a business that has passed the one year mark and that gives me the opportunity to serve so many incredible people. I’m building a life that I want, and I am responsible for making it happen - no one else can do it for me. If I would’ve stayed where I thought I was comfortable, I’d be building someone else’s dream. I’m thankful I leapt into discomfort and took a chance on myself. I’m thankful I tried, and now I know.
I love to share my story because I know it’s the same for so many people out there. I know there are people weighing the pros and cons of staying somewhere “safe” or taking a chance on themselves. Tens of thousands of people in recent weeks aren’t even getting the choice to stay or go - they’re being forced out of a place they thought was safe, and now they have a new set of choices. Find a new place that is a bit more stable, or take a chance on themselves and build that dream they’ve had for years. I hope they take a chance on themselves.
If my story can help inspire one person, everything I’ve experienced and learned and grown through has been worth it. My Why is to help others create and lead the life they WANT, and inspire some people along the way.
There is no limit to the amount of opportunities that exist for you in this world, except the limit YOU choose to place on yourself. When you choose to stay in the perceived safety of things you know, you are choosing to give up the opportunities for growth that lie one step outside your comfort zone.
You’ll never know if you never try, so TRY. Learn, grow, evolve, step fully into your potential. Life is long, and opportunities are endless.
Go get ‘em.