I learned a long time ago that there is something worse than missing the goal, and that’s not pulling the trigger.

Regret sticks longer than failure

There's a particular kind of regret that sticks with us longer than failure ever does. It's not the sting of trying hard and falling short—it's the gnawing what-if of never trying at all. Mia Hamm, one of soccer's greatest competitors, understood something essential: the fear of missing becomes paralyzing only when we let it prevent us from shooting.

This applies far beyond sports. We see it constantly in everyday life—the person who doesn't apply for the job because they might not get it, the creative work left unfinished because it might not be good enough, the conversation never started because it might go poorly. The tragedy isn't that we fail; it's that we deny ourselves the chance to discover what we're capable of. Missing teaches you something. Not trying teaches you nothing except how to be cautious.

The non-obvious part? Pulling the trigger doesn't require confidence. It requires something smaller and more achievable: just accepting that uncertainty is part of the deal. You don't need to feel ready. You just need to stop waiting to feel ready.