This is Why You Will Fail, Unless...


This has to be by far one of my most favorite TED talks. If you have read anything on this website over the last five years, you may have seen my passion for flight. The moment I realized that I would fly for free, or even pay to do it (as we all have) because I could not see life without it, I dropped everything with the stipulation that as long as my son was taken care of I would see my passions through. And doing so has led me on one of the most incredible journeys that I have ever experienced.

The TED talk that I am posting below was given by a gentlemen named Larry Smith who dares to explain to the audience why they will fail to have a great career. What struck me most was his articulation of the audacity that some people have to use anything, including personal relationships, as an excuse for why they never followed their dreams. In fact, he goes as far as to illustrate a scenario in which a parent who never followed their dreams is confronted by their child who announces that they wish to follow theirs. His take on the hypothetical conversation that transpires is on point.

I was lucky enough to be raised by a father who struggled, but never gave up, in order to follow his own dreams. In doing so, he was able to encourage me to follow mine and always reassured me that if I really wanted to do something - I could because he did. I highly recommend the video below to anyone dealing with doubts in their chosen career or life paths; and offer the video as a reaffirmation to those who have courageously set off to follow their own passions. Please, take the time to listen to his message.


The last part really resonates with me and it's the quote I'll be ending this post with. It made me smile because I thought back to the eulogy that I had the honor of giving at my father's memorial service this summer. I will post the full eulogy at a later date when I take the time to really write something worthy of the beautiful person that my father was but for now, I leave you with this:

From the Eulogy of Joseph Earl Burlas III, Given on 07/23/2015
You see, my father was a humble man, and what he wouldn’t tell you is all the hard work he had to put into it. He wouldn’t tell you that he was told ‘no’ at first when seeking an appointment to the school, and he wouldn’t tell you that he gladly did an extra year at the United States Military Academy Preparatory School in order to make the dream a reality. He would probably also leave out that he was an Eagle Scout, and that he won multiple national awards, and that he was a nationally ranked marksmen in competition. He would leave all that out, because the pride he felt inside for having done all of that was enough, and after much deep reflection, I can never remember him bragging. Ever.
What I do remember of these listed accomplishments, and the real reason I know all of this, is that they came as part of a lesson. And in hearing of what he did when he was younger, he also told me that he had to work three part-time jobs, and that hearing ‘no’ only made him try harder. And that lesson concluded with him telling a very young me, with “no matter who tells you no, if you want something bad enough, you can do it – I did”. It is a lesson that has helped me through the hardest and most self-doubting moments of my life, and one I very much hope I pass onto my own children.
"Do you really ever want to look at your spouse or your kid and see your jailers? There was one thing you could have said, you could have looked the kid in the face and said: "Go for it kid, just like I did". But you won't be able to say that cause you didn't, so you can't. And so the sins of the parents are visited on the poor children." - Larry Smith
This is Why You Will Fail, Unless... This is Why You Will Fail, Unless... Reviewed by Joe Burlas on December 16, 2015 Rating: 5

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