A common phrase I hear all the time lately is something along the lines of "oh, I'm just shooting my shot" or "I had to shoot my shot". The phrase is usually said by a guy in the context of him asking a girl out or for her number or whatever the case may be. We laugh, roll our eyes, and move on at the silly phrase, because that's what it is, silly. The more I hear it said, the more I can not help but to think that we all are shooting our shots, or we should at least be trying to.
Sure, you "shoot your shot" when asking someone out or expressing your feelings for them, but I think we take leaps like this in many different ways. You shoot your shot when it comes to getting an education. You work hard in high school maybe and you apply to some colleges. You're shooting your shot with the aim to get in to a school. Same with landing a job. Going to that interview and selling yourself to an employer is apart of shooting your shot.
Making bold decisions and taking risks is all apart of it, and I think that's how you gain the best experiences. Sometimes the outcome isn't going to be in your favor, and that's okay. What's important is to look back on that moment and say wow I was so bold and if I can attempt that, then I can do anything. Shooting your shot in life is taking a chance, and it leads to so many teachable moments in life. Never did I ever think something a silly boy would say would be so inspiring in terms of life itself.
I think shooting your shot is such a bold term, or at least a very loose term. I hear people say it with such confidence, and I just wish sometimes we would say it like that towards other things. I'll hear friends nervously say "oh I have a job interview coming up", and while it's okay to be nervous what if you had a different mindset. What if instead you go into that interview with a confident shrug with the goal of not just shooting your shot, but shooting your best shot.
I think in life we all should make bold decisions, but when we do so we should give it our very best. Whether it be asking someone out, applying to a job, giving a speech in class, or doing anything out of your comfort zone, you should do it with your head held high. Just like any guy who just got denied by a girl would say "hey, I was just shooting my shot" with a smirk and a shrug. Go out there and give the world your own smirk and shrug.
