Luck, variance, randomness - whatever you want to call it, it has an undeniable influence on the course of events.

Taking a simple case, you get lucky when your medical school interview is conducted by a physician who turns out to be life long buddies with one of your referees, or perhaps you get unlucky when you realize your interviewer and you are complete opposites.

I don't know who said it first, and to me it sadly seems like to suggest a rather negative intention when spoken, but the phrase "those who can't do, teach" is quite common and as someone who genuinely enjoys teaching and sharing what I know, see it as a phrase that can actually lead to some valuable insight.

I think the original intention of the phrase was to suggest that teachers are those incapable of doing - for who in their right mind would rather coach, say, Sydney Crosby instead of being Sydney Crosby?  The phrase is also often believed to imply the opposite - that those who can do would not want to teach.

Doing is Generally More Lucrative than Teaching

I think far too often in too many things we focus on just one side of the coin.  And that's not necessarily a bad thing, but it can be counter productive if you're looking at the side that prevents you from succeeding, and succeeding big.

While I don't have any specific role models that I look up to, one of the things I have come to admire are people who are masters of their trade - those considered "great" in their respective fields.

One of the things I have come to realize is that a key characteristic such individuals have in common is that they are fearless.  To be more specific, what I mean is that they are not scared to lose.

I think it's important to make this distinction between being fearless of losing and simply being fearless because fearlessness is all too often misconstrued as foolishness when it need not be.

Yes it is true that there is foolish fearlessness.  For example, a fearless person who takes a test without studying is foolish.  Fortunately, that's not the type of person I am talking about and clearly not the type of fearlessness I am advocating for.

A master who is fearless is one who recognizes the failures or losses he may experience, but chooses to not focus on them.  Instead, he focuses on succeeding.

There are many reasons why being fearless is critical to being successful, but there are two that stand out to me.

Focusing on Failure Prevents you From Taking Advantage of Opportunities to Succeed