Fail.

In a 2008 Harvard Commencement speech, J.K. Rowling gave a speech titled "The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination." A few memorable quotes are below:

"Some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all – in which case, you fail by default."

Don't Fail by Default

Prior to the success of Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling was a single parent living in poverty with no job. Some people are terrified of failure, but forget that failure is a part of the process, and often the foundation for success. When you show up, there's a possibility of failure. When you try, there's a possibility of failure. When you put yourself out there, there's a possibility of failure. The only time you can't fail is when you're not doing anything. At which point, according to Rowling, you fail by default. She continues:

"Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realized, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

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