Hiding your light and floating with the tide (because you were too afraid to "fail") can be a sure path to even more systematic failure, also. As the King of Fun himself so presciently put it for us, just as he was setting out on his path:
And indeed, that IS the question: whether to float with the tide, or to swim for a goal. It is a choice we must all make consciously or unconsciously at one time in our lives. So few people understand this! Think of any decision you’ve ever made which had a bearing on your future: I may be wrong, but I don’t see how it could have been anything but a choice however indirect — between the two things I’ve mentioned: the floating or the swimming.
I think there needs to be more compassion towards those who are floating in order to muster enough energy to swim.
I'm snug as a bug in a rug right now, and about as "floating" as one can get, but my husband and I are saving money and paying down debt like gangbusters so we can buy a farm in 7-10ish years and leave this lifestyle behind us.
I've had some repeated discussions about this, whether to swim or float. I've so far defended the swimmers, but I'm not myself sure of what anyone should do.
Hiding the light might be a way to failure. But showing it might doesn't seem to be a guarantee of success either, specially if the light ain't that bright. And this is where the bottom line is for most people: "would I rather be rich and bored, or poor but living the dream?"
And indeed, that IS the question: whether to float with the tide, or to swim for a goal. It is a choice we must all make consciously or unconsciously at one time in our lives. So few people understand this! Think of any decision you’ve ever made which had a bearing on your future: I may be wrong, but I don’t see how it could have been anything but a choice however indirect — between the two things I’ve mentioned: the floating or the swimming.
Per last month's discussion on "On Finding Your Purpose: An Extraordinary Letter by Hunter S. Thompson" - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12379809