Across a 20-season career, Gretzky achieved a level of performance that remains a Feat by any measure. He became the all-time points leader, won the scoring title 10 times, was named league MVP 9 times, and lifted the Stanley Cup on four occasions. Yet his philosophy wasn’t built on perfection, it was built on permission to act.

This quote isn’t about scoring goals. It is about accepting that inaction guarantees failure, while action, even imperfect action, creates opportunity. If you don’t take the shot, the probability of success is zero.

As we return to work, a common question in the office is, “Have you set a New Year’s resolution?” While statistics suggest that around 80% of resolutions fail by mid-February, the real issue isn’t whether resolutions fail, it’s whether we’re willing to try at all. Not acting guarantees failure, whereas trying and failing isn’t defeat; it’s feedback. Without trying, there’s no chance of success, no opportunity to learn, and without learning, no improvement.

The same principle applies in real estate. Developments often fail due to inaction, when decisions are deferred in pursuit of absolute certainty, delayed actions drive cost, erode momentum, and compound risk. High-performing projects move forward by taking well-judged shots early enough to generate feedback, learn, and adjust. Without action, no data is created and without data, learning stops.

If you haven’t already set a New Year’s resolution, give yourself permission to do so today, not because success is guaranteed, but because learning requires action, and no meaningful Feat is ever achieved without taking a shot.