It’s Okay

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When the Wright Brothers first dreamed of taking to the sky, they didn’t know what they were doing. But it turned out okay.

When Yuri Gargarin headed into the unknown on that historic first space flight, he didn’t know what he was doing. But it turned out okay.

When Ghandi pioneered satyagraha as the non-violent counter to tyranny, he didn’t know if what he was doing would work. But it turned out okay.

History’s greatest moments are built on people who didn’t know what they were doing. But they turned out okay.

The point?

It’s okay to not know what you’re doing – it could be just the spur you need for your own greatness.

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About Danny

Danny Brown is Chief Technologist at ArCompany and an award-winning marketer and blogger. His blog is recognized as the #1 marketing blog in the world by HubSpot. Danny is also co-author of Influence Marketing: How to Create, Manage and Measure Brand Influencers in Social Media Marketing.

126 comments
stephey : Marked by the Muse™
stephey : Marked by the Muse™ like.author.displayName 1 Like

The most poignant messages always come to me in two's or three's, Listen From Within or It's Okay. It's perfect timing that led me to this post and delivered the perfect message i needed to hear, It's Okay. I didn't even know I needed to hear it, until I did. It's one of "those" days - hell two years! The kind that test patience and endurance and most of all heart. I'm an Artist tearing the chrysalis open, moving from the starving artist syndrome to living a thriving Artist's life. When following inspiration I didn't realized how painful it would be to transform and get those wings - but it's okay cuz I'm dying to live not living to die and that makes all the difference. Thanks again

Danny
Danny

Hey there Stephey,

Wow, sounds like you have an awesome story there, miss. Love the "dying to live" mantra - here's to that long being the case!

stephey : Marked by the Muse™
stephey : Marked by the Muse™

The most poignant messages always come to me in two's or three's, Listen From Within or It's Okay. It's perfect timing that led me to this post and delivered the perfect message i needed to hear, It's Okay. I didn't even know I needed to hear it, until I did. It's one of "those" days - hell two years! The kind that test patience and endurance and most of all heart. I'm an Artist tearing the chrysalis open, moving from the starving artist syndrome to living a thriving Artist's life. When following inspiration I didn't realized how painful it would be to transform and get those wings - but it's okay cuz I'm dying to live not living to die and that makes all the difference. Thanks again

Danny
Danny

Hey there Stephey, Wow, sounds like you have an awesome story there, miss. Love the "dying to live" mantra - here's to that long being the case!

Steve Rice
Steve Rice

Loved this post! I have sometimes be "trapped" by indecision, believing that I have to know what I'm doing. This article is really inspiring...it encourages me that I'm on the right path. I can do what I may not necessarily know how to do. Thanks.

Danny
Danny

Hi there Steve,

Cheers, mate, really glad the post resonated and gave you some extra spur - that's all I can ask for, so thanks for sharing your thoughts, mate, appreciated. :)

Steve Rice
Steve Rice

Loved this post! I have sometimes be "trapped" by indecision, believing that I have to know what I'm doing. This article is really inspiring...it encourages me that I'm on the right path. I can do what I may not necessarily know how to do. Thanks.

Steve Rice
Steve Rice

Loved this post! I have sometimes be "trapped" by indecision, believing that I have to know what I'm doing. This article is really inspiring...it encourages me that I'm on the right path. I can do what I may not necessarily know how to do. Thanks.

Danny
Danny

Hi there Steve, Cheers, mate, really glad the post resonated and gave you some extra spur - that's all I can ask for, so thanks for sharing your thoughts, mate, appreciated. :)

kira permunian - Best SEO
kira permunian - Best SEO

Oh speechless.. but yes, all I want to say is that, I really admire everything about you and I wish to meet. It's gonna be an achievement then. Hats off to you.

Danny
Danny

Hi Kira, Thank you for the kind words, and glad you enjoyed the post - appreciate you stopping by. :)

kira permunian - Best SEO
kira permunian - Best SEO

Oh speechless.. but yes, all I want to say is that, I really admire everything about you and I wish to meet. It's gonna be an achievement then. Hats off to you.

Danny
Danny

Hi Kira,

Thank you for the kind words, and glad you enjoyed the post - appreciate you stopping by. :)

Christina Crowe
Christina Crowe

Danny - this was magnificent! You might just be the next Seth Godin! Thanks for such an inspirational piece. :)

I can't tell you how often I feel as though everyone else knows what they're doing but me - that I'm somehow the only one left in the dark unsure of my direction or where life will take me.

I especially felt this way while going through college - everyone else knew what they wanted to do with their futures. They all had a general idea of what they wanted to major in, and I was the one who kept switching majors and changing direction.

Now I'm here doing something that I love and can't possibly live without - writing. :)

And you're exactly right; you won't be 100% sure of most of the choices that you make in life. But if you just keep on pushing and keep working towards that end goal, whatever it may be, you'll look back and think, "Wow. Did I really make it this far?"

And everything will be okay. :)

Truly awesome piece, Danny. You always know how to keep it short and sweet.

Christina

Christina Crowe
Christina Crowe

Danny - this was magnificent! You might just be the next Seth Godin! Thanks for such an inspirational piece. :)

I can't tell you how often I feel as though everyone else knows what they're doing but me - that I'm somehow the only one left in the dark unsure of my direction or where life will take me.

I especially felt this way while going through college - everyone else knew what they wanted to do with their futures. They all had a general idea of what they wanted to major in, and I was the one who kept switching majors and changing direction.

Now I'm here doing something that I love and can't possibly live without - writing. :)

And you're exactly right; you won't be 100% sure of most of the choices that you make in life. But if you just keep on pushing and keep working towards that end goal, whatever it may be, you'll look back and think, "Wow. Did I really make it this far?"

And everything will be okay. :)

Truly awesome piece, Danny. You always know how to keep it short and sweet.

Christina

Danny
Danny

Hi there Christina,

Well thank you for the kind words, miss, really appreciate them. :)

The funny thing with college is that often the folks that know what they want to do don't end up doing it anyway (I don't follow the career path that my University degree would give me).

Here's to more unknowns. :)

Christina Crowe
Christina Crowe

Danny - this was magnificent! You might just be the next Seth Godin! Thanks for such an inspirational piece. :) I can't tell you how often I feel as though everyone else knows what they're doing but me - that I'm somehow the only one left in the dark unsure of my direction or where life will take me. I especially felt this way while going through college - everyone else knew what they wanted to do with their futures. They all had a general idea of what they wanted to major in, and I was the one who kept switching majors and changing direction. Now I'm here doing something that I love and can't possibly live without - writing. :) And you're exactly right; you won't be 100% sure of most of the choices that you make in life. But if you just keep on pushing and keep working towards that end goal, whatever it may be, you'll look back and think, "Wow. Did I really make it this far?" And everything will be okay. :) Truly awesome piece, Danny. You always know how to keep it short and sweet. Christina

Danny
Danny

Hi there Christina, Well thank you for the kind words, miss, really appreciate them. :) The funny thing with college is that often the folks that know what they want to do don't end up doing it anyway (I don't follow the career path that my University degree would give me). Here's to more unknowns. :)

Rojae Braga
Rojae Braga

This is an excellent post Danny! People need to be reminded about this once in a while, that it is ok to not know everything. Indeed everyone struggles with moments of being clueless about what they’re doing, but it is just surprising how our cluelessness oftentimes leads to great things. I’ve known a lot of people who ventured into the unknown and find themselves successful now. However just a quick point, I guess it is also not good to stick with this line of thought always, as there are still things that needs us to be certain, to know what we are doing.

Thanks for the inspiration!

Danny
Danny

Hi there Rojae,

Oh, for sure, you definitely need to have at least some common sense now and again - there are limits as to how much of a leap into the unknown you take.

Accepting that the leap is there, though, and shouldn't be feared - that's where the gold is. :)

Thanks for dropping by, appreciate it. :)

Rojae Braga
Rojae Braga

This is an excellent post Danny! People need to be reminded about this once in a while, that it is ok to not know everything. Indeed everyone struggles with moments of being clueless about what they’re doing, but it is just surprising how our cluelessness oftentimes leads to great things. I’ve known a lot of people who ventured into the unknown and find themselves successful now. However just a quick point, I guess it is also not good to stick with this line of thought always, as there are still things that needs us to be certain, to know what we are doing. Thanks for the inspiration!

Danny
Danny

Hi there Rojae, Oh, for sure, you definitely need to have at least some common sense now and again - there are limits as to how much of a leap into the unknown you take. Accepting that the leap is there, though, and shouldn't be feared - that's where the gold is. :) Thanks for dropping by, appreciate it. :)

Wes Towers@GraphicDesignMelbourne
Wes Towers@GraphicDesignMelbourne

It's great how you always manage to motivate us every week, Danny. Thank you for telling us that it's all going to be okay. Even if we are taking baby steps or taking that giant leap, the thought that we are venturing to many unknown avenues in the world of business is always daunting. So, having someone tell us that it'll be okay is a great heart lightener indeed.

Danny
Danny

Hey there Wes,

Thanks for the kind words, sir, much appreciated. Completely agree - so many times we're told we need to be rushing to where we want to be.

But you know, it's not a bad thing if we take a little longer to get there - it just means we have more experience along the way. ;-)

Wes Towers@GraphicDesignMelbourne
Wes Towers@GraphicDesignMelbourne

It's great how you always manage to motivate us every week, Danny. Thank you for telling us that it's all going to be okay. Even if we are taking baby steps or taking that giant leap, the thought that we are venturing to many unknown avenues in the world of business is always daunting. So, having someone tell us that it'll be okay is a great heart lightener indeed.

Danny
Danny

Hey there Wes, Thanks for the kind words, sir, much appreciated. Completely agree - so many times we're told we need to be rushing to where we want to be. But you know, it's not a bad thing if we take a little longer to get there - it just means we have more experience along the way. ;-)

Yael Rozencwajg
Yael Rozencwajg

Hey Danny and everyone,
I think the most common thing we can share together right here is the first time we've get connected to social media : we didn't know what we've been doing, but you see finally it turned out ok.
Every so called revolution didn't know what it supposed to do, but it turned ok.
People have been doing great things without fearing the failure, I've tried to explained it yesterday as well. And finally they succeed (and often by surprise !).
Since ages it turned ok for others : people leave it a little, it will turn ok fo you as well.

Danny, you always find the right words at the right moments, how can you do that ?!
...(no, finally, please keep your secret, that's why I'll come back all the time)...

Danny
Danny

Hey there Yael,

So very true - and I love the fact you use the term "revolution" to make your point.

Like you say, the truest revolutions and biggest changes come from those willing to go against the norm, because they believe a better something lies beyond.

Here's to more revolutions. :)

Yael Rozencwajg
Yael Rozencwajg

Keeping regulars looks on your small blogging "revolution".
I'm trying to do as well, so it will be a bigger one :)
Have a great day my friend !!

Yael Rozencwajg
Yael Rozencwajg

Hey Danny and everyone, I think the most common thing we can share together right here is the first time we've get connected to social media : we didn't know what we've been doing, but you see finally it turned out ok. Every so called revolution didn't know what it supposed to do, but it turned ok. People have been doing great things without fearing the failure, I've tried to explained it yesterday as well. And finally they succeed (and often by surprise !). Since ages it turned ok for others : people leave it a little, it will turn ok fo you as well. Danny, you always find the right words at the right moments, how can you do that ?! ...(no, finally, please keep your secret, that's why I'll come back all the time)...

Danny
Danny

Hey there Yael, So very true - and I love the fact you use the term "revolution" to make your point. Like you say, the truest revolutions and biggest changes come from those willing to go against the norm, because they believe a better something lies beyond. Here's to more revolutions. :)

Yael Rozencwajg
Yael Rozencwajg

Keeping regulars looks on your small blogging "revolution". I'm trying to do as well, so it will be a bigger one :) Have a great day my friend !!

Stuart
Stuart

Bugger me Danny, I needed to hear this right now. You have no idea...

Danny
Danny

Well then my work is done, mate, and I shall retire for the evening. ;-)

Great to hear, mate, and happy to "help" - here's to everything working out.

Stuart
Stuart

Bugger me Danny, I needed to hear this right now. You have no idea...

Danny
Danny

Well then my work is done, mate, and I shall retire for the evening. ;-) Great to hear, mate, and happy to "help" - here's to everything working out.

Mark Longbottom
Mark Longbottom

Nailed it again Danny, if they had taken too much caution where would the world be? Life, work music why just accept it all? Far better to have a little chaos in there.

Choice is one thing choosing is another, as long as you believe then thats fine and dandy.

They will have to follow.

Danny
Danny

Hey there Mark,

It reminds me of the likes of the Sex Pistols, Nirvana and Madonna - striking out from what was the norm at the time, not really knowing if it would work but taking the risk anyway.

And we all know how music was changed because of them.

Here's to more instigators of choice. :)

mark longbottom
mark longbottom

I would agree and all those bands and many more simply share their creativity without the short term sale being most important. Shame John Lydon is seen as a pantomime dame when he has more wit and inteligence than many, here's a blog post I wrote on Social Media and the Sex Pistols http://www.design58.com/2010/12/11/328/ .

The people you list just get on with things as we all should. Worthwhile looking at certain creative people to see that life isn't a 5, 10 and 15 year plan.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh has suggestions regarding life and choice, do choose life over drugs but choose your own life not one someone else packages for you.

mark longbottom
mark longbottom

I would agree and all those bands and many more simply share their creativity without the short term sale being most important. Shame John Lydon is seen as a pantomime dame when he has more wit and inteligence than many, here's a blog post I wrote on Social Media and the Sex Pistols http://www.design58.com/2010/12/11/328/ .

The people you list just get on with things as we all should. Worthwhile looking at certain creative people to see that life isn't a 5, 10 and 15 year plan.

Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh has suggestions regarding life and choice, do choose life over drugs but choose your own life not one someone else packages for you.

Mark Longbottom
Mark Longbottom

Nailed it again Danny, if they had taken too much caution where would the world be? Life, work music why just accept it all? Far better to have a little chaos in there. Choice is one thing choosing is another, as long as you believe then thats fine and dandy. They will have to follow.

Danny
Danny

Hey there Mark, It reminds me of the likes of the Sex Pistols, Nirvana and Madonna - striking out from what was the norm at the time, not really knowing if it would work but taking the risk anyway. And we all know how music was changed because of them. Here's to more instigators of choice. :)

mark longbottom
mark longbottom

I would agree and all those bands and many more simply share their creativity without the short term sale being most important. Shame John Lydon is seen as a pantomime dame when he has more wit and inteligence than many, here's a blog post I wrote on Social Media and the Sex Pistols http://www.design58.com/2010/12/11/328/ . The people you list just get on with things as we all should. Worthwhile looking at certain creative people to see that life isn't a 5, 10 and 15 year plan. Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh has suggestions regarding life and choice, do choose life over drugs but choose your own life not one someone else packages for you.

Elena Patrice
Elena Patrice

Hello Danny,

What a nice post! Sometimes there are words needed to make us feel like we've been given another knot to hold on to or a hand to support us. I’m amazed how mysterious, glorious life we're privileged to have leads them to us at the most appropriate times. This is what your words are for me today and I'm very grateful ... thank you. You have a gift, thank you for sharing that too!

Much kindness,

Elena

Danny
Danny

Hi Elena,

First, thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate them. :)

You know, it's funny - I never cease to be amazed by the very different, yet very kind, people I meet virtually every day of the week.

It truly seems like there's a new mindset amongst folks, and that people genuinely want to help others. Of course, there will always be idiots that buck that trend - but they can be avoided if we need to.

Here's to more glorious lives. :)

Elena Patrice
Elena Patrice

Hello Danny,

What a nice post! Sometimes there are words needed to make us feel like we've been given another knot to hold on to or a hand to support us. I’m amazed how mysterious, glorious life we're privileged to have leads them to us at the most appropriate times. This is what your words are for me today and I'm very grateful ... thank you. You have a gift, thank you for sharing that too!

Much kindness,

Elena

Elena Patrice
Elena Patrice

Hello Danny, What a nice post! Sometimes there are words needed to make us feel like we've been given another knot to hold on to or a hand to support us. I’m amazed how mysterious, glorious life we're privileged to have leads them to us at the most appropriate times. This is what your words are for me today and I'm very grateful ... thank you. You have a gift, thank you for sharing that too! Much kindness, Elena

Danny
Danny

Hi Elena, First, thank you so much for the kind words, I really appreciate them. :) You know, it's funny - I never cease to be amazed by the very different, yet very kind, people I meet virtually every day of the week. It truly seems like there's a new mindset amongst folks, and that people genuinely want to help others. Of course, there will always be idiots that buck that trend - but they can be avoided if we need to. Here's to more glorious lives. :)

Mark Harai
Mark Harai

Great post here Danny. Fear stops people from doing extra-ordinary things because they don't step out into the unknown and become something or someone they've always dreamed of.

You're dreams never die; they stay tucked away tucked away right where you buried them. Throughout your life they'll be a reminder you of what your purpose was suppose to be or what could have been and often times they'll leave one with many regrets for sleep walking through life.

Self-made successful people who started with nothing and built fortunes understood that in order to live a fulfilling life and change the world, as many of them were inspired to do, you must get to the point that you know, no matter what, everything is going to be alright – especially in the midst of your most challenging times in life.

Everything is going to be alright!

Short, but powerful message Mr. Brown!

Danny
Danny

I think you hit the nail on the head, Mark. I know one of my biggest fears is looking back on my deathbed and thinking, "If only."

I'd rather lay there thinking, "Wow, that was one interesting life that I made a lot of mistakes in. But I sure as heck had fun making them and becoming better because of them."

Like you say, everything is going to be alright. Cheers, sir!

Trackbacks

  1. [...] It’s Okay originally appeared on Danny Brown | Social Media Marketing Blog – The Human Side of Media and the Social Side of Marketing under a Creative Commons license.   If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it! [...]

  2. [...] good progress of any human endeavor is consistently built under 2 key sides : – Optimism : it’s okay, even if you (or others) don’t really know what you’re doing, or feel unconscious and [...]

  3. [...] But I also know that it took a lot of hard work and the realization that things don’t always work out the way we want them to – but that’s okay. [...]


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