Motivation
Shooters Gotta Shoot
The importance of asking for what you want
This blog will be the first of many on the topic of mental health and web3. In essence, this article discusses the theme of radical responsibility and how we are responsible for creating our destiny. We must take action and consciously choose the life we wish to live.
Perhaps you’ve heard this phrase before, “shooters gotta shoot.” For my first medium blog, I felt this topic was most fitting as this is, in fact, me “shooting my shot.”
This mantra has been life-changing for me as it’s encouraged me to boldly take risks at times when it seemed most were anxiously standing on the sidelines. This is a mantra about taking chances and creating opportunities. Notice that last part? — Creating opportunities.
I vividly remember the 14-year-old me staring at a poster of Michael Jordan pinned to the wall of my math class. He was dunking a basketball with a quote brazenly stating, “You miss 100% of the shots you never take.”
NHL hockey great Wayne Gretzky has also been quoted expressing the same sentiment, along with Michael Scott, the star of the hit comedy series from the American version of The Office.
This quote hit hard back then and continues to do so to this day. What does it all mean? In essence, if you don’t take risks, you miss out on possible rewards and opportunities. You don’t get what you don’t ask for. This is the case in our careers, relationships, hobbies, passions, and purpose.
By taking a chance, a risk, even a gamble, we can at least create an opportunity to get what we want… At the bare minimum, we have a better chance than if we don’t take that risk. What holds us back? — Fear.
While helpful in the appropriate situation, fear is a debilitating emotion that prevents most people from living the life they dream of. Most thoughts associated with fear are those in which we think about what “could” happen. The key word is “could.” Out of fear, many don’t ask for what they want. They anticipate, often inaccurately, that their request will be denied.
Rather than shooting their shot, they choose not to shoot at all. But what’s the cost? Even if rejected or denied, in the worst-case scenario, you’d be in the exact same place that you would’ve been in if you were not asking at all. Isn’t it at least worth taking a chance by asking then?
My challenge to you: Ask for that pay raise or promotion you’ve been wanting. Ask the person you’ve been secretly admiring out on a date. Express your truth and your desires within your most significant relationships. Go on that impromptu trip.
Take action towards your dreams. Pursue your soul’s deepest purpose. Taking the chance has far fewer negative consequences than not taking a chance at all. By shooting your shot, you have a significantly greater chance of receiving what you want than if you were not to ask at all. Challenge your fear, take a chance, and create an opportunity. Always remember, “shooters gotta shoot.”
