Dare to do it while you're young!

There's a folk tale that almost everyone has heard. A woodcutter, while chopping wood by the riverbank, accidentally dropped his axe into the water. When a fairy appeared and offered him a golden axe, then a silver axe, he shook his head and refused them both, saying they didn't belong to him. Only when the old iron axe was brought up did he happily accept it.

People recount that story as a lesson in honesty. But as I grew older, I thought more about the detail: The woodcutter only dropped his axe while he was working. If he had sat still on the riverbank, the axe would never have fallen. He wouldn't have had to worry, wouldn't have had to face loss or failure. But he also would never have had any firewood to bring home.

Illustration: openworld

Looking at today's youth, I see many carrying within them an invisible fear. It's not necessarily a fear of failure, but a fear of making mistakes. We fear choosing the wrong field of study, making the wrong career decision, starting a project that won't succeed, or being judged poorly if the results aren't as expected. Because of this fear of making mistakes, many choose to stand still, waiting for the perfect opportunity, the perfect moment, or a sure path to success. But life doesn't offer such perfection.

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There's a great philosophy: A ship is safest in port, but that's not why ships are made. The same goes for youth. Youth isn't born to live in a comfort zone. Youth is the most opportune time to experience, explore , and challenge oneself. The best years of life aren't those without mistakes, but those where you dare to live life to the fullest with your choices.

The reality is that very few people find success on their first try. Behind every achievement are often failures that others don't see. Some people have to change careers many times before finding a suitable job. Some people experience numerous setbacks before understanding the value of perseverance. Some people only truly mature after seemingly insurmountable challenges. What makes youth valuable isn't the absence of failure. What's precious is that after each fall, we still have the courage to get up and move on. Because failure isn't the end, but just a part of the journey to maturity. Each mistake helps us understand ourselves better, where our strengths and weaknesses lie, and what we need to change.

Perhaps each of us has experienced failure at least once. It could be an unsatisfactory exam result, an unfinished project, or a failed plan. These things might make us sad for a while, but one day, looking back, we realize that the most memorable moments of youth aren't easily achieved successes. Rather, they are the times we dared to try, dared to make mistakes, and kept moving forward. Because ultimately, what people regret most isn't the things they did but failed to do, but the things they never dared to do when they were young...

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Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/xa-hoi/cac-van-de/dam-lam-khi-ta-con-tre-1045332