One thing that seems to hold a lot of people back from setting and achieving big goals is the need for security (安全). Security is a feeling of certainty that everything is OK and that all your basic needs will be provided for. On the surface there's nothing wrong with that. It's great to feel secure. Abraham Maslow lists it as one of the basic human needs. If we don't feel secure, we can't move onto higher levels like love and achievement. If we have doubts about paying the rent at the end of the month, how can we possibly go after our really big dreams?
So how is it that some people are able to start a new business while completely broke? Do business risk takers simply have a lower need for security?
If you read the stories of very successful people, you see a common pattern (模式) again and again—from an external (外部的) point of view, most of these people were not in a secure situation when they started going after their dreams. Sylvester Stallone was so broke that he had to sell his dog. Tony Robbins did his dishes in his bathroom because his small apartment had no kitchen. Brian Tracy was a day laborer. Og Mandino was a homeless drunk who went into libraries to stay warm. While some successful people start out with a lot of advantages, most don't.
Meanwhile, how is it that others who seem to be in a far more secure situation are paralyzed from taking action? People who have some money in the bank, a nice home, and a highlypaid job still don't feel secure. Meanwhile, others with far worse starting positions pass them by. Why?
The reason isn't that some people need security more than others. I think everyone needs to feel secure. The difference, however, is that the successful risk takers define security internally (内部地) while others define security externally.
