Quote #119: Gary Billotti

I'm Gary Billotti, member of the Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition, father of three, 25 year resident of Midland.

"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

This quote is attributed to a number of famous athletes, mostly commonly from Wayne Gretzky in an interview in 1983. Although obviously a sports metaphor, it also applies to our decisions and consequential actions throughout our life. It simply means that if you don’t take action or seize opportunities, you will never achieve success or make progress. By not trying, you are guaranteeing failure because you’re not giving yourself a chance to succeed. Success often requires stepping out of your comfort zone and attempting things, even when there’s a chance of failure. If you don’t take initiative, the opportunity might pass, and you'll never know what could have been.

A few examples of my own include:
- Starting grad school the day after getting married
- Moving to Delaware simply to be were I saw the opportunities in my field
- Leaving a position with great potential growth, to move back to Michigan
- Uprooting a young family by accepting a new position in Midland that I knew would be very challenging
- Deciding to stay in Midland after retiring

Essentially, it’s a reminder that effort and action are prerequisites to success, even if the outcome isn’t guaranteed - remember to keep in mind what "success" truly means to you.

This has been brought to you by the Midland Area Wellbeing Coalition's Quotes to Live By Series. Stay well!