At dinner with his family one night, my boyfriend and his father started talking hockey. I was about to tune out when his dad began to talk about how, when it comes to living a good life, we can learn a lot from the game. He went on to explain, quoting Hockey Hall of Famer, Wayne Gretzky: “You miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.”

This was the first time anything sports-related resonated with me, and since then this powerful quote has stuck with me because it’s so true!

When you have a goal or a dream, but you don’t take a shot at it, you miss the opportunity to score, to win, or to get what you want. In order to fulfill your dream, it’s crucial that you take a chance.

Take Your Shot

The problem for many of us is that we’re afraid to take the first shot. It’s often easier, and feels safer, to keep mulling over an idea or to keep yourself in the research phase. Taking the first step can be scary, because it means opening yourself up to the world and to criticism by others. But here’s the thing — there will always be critics out there, so don’t let them hold you back!

You may feel that something needs to fall into place or you need to make a key decision before it feels right for you to take the leap. But as I’ve said many times before, that is often just an excuse.  Plus perfection does not exist anyway! If you focus on what others think or keep waiting for the elusive “missing” piece, you’ll likely never start anything. And in order to succeed, you must take action.

Yes, you might fail on the first go, but as we know, failing is a part of success. If you believe deeply in your dream and want it to come true, you can’t allow obstacles to stop you.

Instead, it’s critical to look at setbacks as experiences to learn from and as opportunities to re-ignite the spark for your next attempt. Plus another benefit of constantly trying is that you’ll have time to reassess the steps you’re taking to achieve your goal. This means that your output will only get better and better over time. I believe that this type of persistence is what separates the dreamers and the doers.

So if you have a dream, I encourage you to take action! Keep your foot on the gas pedal and try and try again. You have the power to create what happens to you as long as you show up and you do your best.

And if you ultimately do fail, at least you’ll know you tried.

The post You Miss 100% of the Shots You Don’t Take appeared first on Ritu Bhasin.

For many of us, talking about our accomplishments and achievements can be uncomfortable. Even though we may have worked really hard at something in our career, our personal lives, and more, so many of us describe our success using language like, “I was in the right place at the right time” or “I was so lucky that XYZ happened.”

But here’s the thing: luck isn’t what helps most people get ahead (hello, supremacy, power, and privilege). And in fact, I firmly disagree with the concept of luck.

Part of the reason I don’t believe in luck, is that I know from my work as an equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant that the systems in which we work, play, study, live, and more are designed to be biased tied back to class, gender, race/ethnoculture, and other identities.

And so those who have privilege are able to get ahead more easily than others, while for those who lack privilege, it’s not about luck — it’s about how we show up.

In this video, I share an expression that transformed my outlook on luck and the critical factor that’s way more important than luck in attaining and owning your success.

Watch now!

The post Why I Don’t Believe in the Concept of Luck appeared first on Ritu Bhasin.

Are you the type of person who makes New Year’s Resolutions? Or do you wince at the thought of goal setting?

If you are someone who loves setting goals and making resolutions — me too! Welcome to the club! And if you aren’t, I’d like to invite you to reconsider trying goal setting because it can be an incredibly powerful tool for helping you to live better and make big changes in your life.

Perhaps your past experiences have told you that because you’ve had trouble keeping your resolutions, you should avoid them altogether. But setting goals can be incredibly helpful and motivating — you just have to do so in the right way.

In this video, I share some of the reasons that your past goal setting might have been unsuccessful as well as my favorite tips for staying on track so you can meet them.

Watch now!

The post The Importance of Setting Goals appeared first on Ritu Bhasin.

What separates the people who are successful in reaching their goals from the people who aren’t? In my experience, it comes down to this: working really hard and being relentless in the pursuit of excellence.

When I reflect on my career journey, it stands out to me that I have worked SO HARD to achieve all that I have earned in my life. Very little has been handed to me on a silver platter — and in fact, as a woman of color, that silver platter continues to be perpetually out of reach for me (and for so many others in my position!). And this is exactly why I have also relentlessly focused on producing excellent quality work.

In this video, I talk about why the pursuit of excellence is my key to success and how it will help you to achieve your goals too.

Watch now!

The post The Key Practice for Success in Your Career, Life & Everything Else appeared first on Ritu Bhasin.