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How to Live a Life with Teeth: How to Take Risks, Embrace Opportunities, and Live Fully
“I have led a toothless life’, he thought. ‘ A toothless life. I have never bitten into anything. I was waiting. I was reserving myself for later on and just noticed that my teeth have gone.’”
A couple of years ago, I got invited to speak at a health conference. I said no. I thought, “Who would want to come and see me speak?” “what would I even speak about?”. I concluded that, in addition to not having anything good enough to talk about, I was also scared of public speaking. So, I politely declined.
I still think about that invite.
I think about what may have happened if I had accepted, who I may have met, and the opportunities that may have come my way. Maybe nothing would have happened. But I would have been the person to speak at the conference. I would have got my teeth into it.
I heard a quote. It’s an extract from a novel by French philosopher and author Jean-Paul Sartre, The Age of Reason.
“I have led a toothless life’, he thought. ‘ A toothless life. I have never bitten into anything. I was waiting. I was reserving myself for later on and just noticed that my…
