Courage, dear heart. These mountains will fall. I want to share something personal with you today. It’s something I say quite often to people who know me and they feel stuck in life. “Play to win. Don’t play to not lose.”

Where did that even come from? I spent a lot of time in the past afraid to put it all on the line and chase after what I know I can be. Sometimes it would be 70%. Others 95%. But I would always hold something back. I would always keep something in reserve just in case it didn’t go “my way.” ⠀
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I did this because there were a few times in my life where I did go all in and everything fell apart at the seams in apocalyptic fashion. So that made me a bit shell-shocked. It made me unwilling to step fully across the line. I had these big dreams but held on dearly to past habits that would act as a “hand brake” on my potential and slow me down…just in case life had different plans for me.

But that’s no way to truly live. Tentative. Wary. Unsure. That’s no way to live at all. When you’re in the place, you’re just trying to make sure nothing goes wrong. That’s not strength that’s motivating you. It’s fear. Fear that you won’t be able to handle whatever comes along. ⠀
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Here’s the truth. With love and courage in your heart, you can take anything that arrives at your doorstep.

As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

Isn’t that the truth. All you have to do is just keep getting back up no matter what.⠀
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Play to win.

The worst that could happen is that it doesn’t work out the way you wanted it to. You’ll have the chance to try again. But when does life ever turn out the way you thought? I think that’s the point.

Nonetheless, you still learn. You still gain the experience that many could never dream of because they aren’t willing to even try. Your journey is where all the golden nuggets are.

Get out there.

Give it your all.

Keep going until it’s done.

Never quit.

Evan Sanders
The Better Man Project