Thought Questions, day 94: If you haven’t achieved it yet what do you have to lose?

I got these questions from Danielle’s blog Underland to Wonderland, where I came across a post in which she talked about the website Thought Questions and their 365 thought-provoking questions to ask yourself. My friends Katrin, Celeste and Jasmine have also been answering these questions, so be sure to go check out their blogs too!

Day 94: If you haven’t achieved it yet what do you have to lose? I’m not sure how to answer this question. I guess you could interpret it as asking why you would continue to hold back from chasing a goal–what do you have to lose? You don’t have the thing you’re chasing (yet), so what do you really have to lose in the pursuit thereof? Or in other words, if the goal is that amazing, how can the journey (and any possible struggles along the way) be so bad that you would put it off? You’ve got nothing to lose by going for it!

I think this thinking finally kicked in big-time for me this spring when I realized that I had planned to travel around the world before I turned 25. My birthday is in two weeks, and I haven’t even left the states. I realized I could keep telling myself I’d never be able to afford it or I could buckle down my spending to stash as much cash as possible until I could go. There’s no point in waiting, because the time will pass anyway. What do I have to lose by trying? It’s not like I’m any closer to my goal than I was a year ago.

I’m curious, how do you interpret this question? And what’s your answer?