Taking risks. No, we don’t mean jumping out of an airplane at 10,000 feet without a parachute or climbing a mountain without safety gear. We are talking about getting out of your comfort zone and about facing challenges that can improve your life, help you be better!
Risks scare me – I’d rather be safe
Believe it or not, there is nothing you do that doesn’t entail some kind of risk, even if you are not aware of it. You could step on the dog’s tail when you get out of bed. Your car might not start when you are running late for work. A brick could fall off a building and hit you. You might grab the antibiotic cream instead of the gel when you are getting ready to clean your tongue (especially if you haven’t had enough sleep and you are groggy that morning 😉).
You get the picture. Everything we do, every day, includes a calculated, if not invisible, risk. But we all get up and get going in spite of the inherent risks of life.
Well, ok, but why take deliberate risks?
Think about the kinds of risks out there. Most of us don’t take them because we are afraid to fail. We are afraid of rejection. And yet we don’t see the upside. We don’t see that there is a chance we will succeed or that our proposal will be accepted.
It might be something as simple as asking for a donation for our favorite charity event…if you don’t ask, you won’t get that donation. Not everyone you ask will say yes, but isn’t’ it worth the risk to get something?
Maybe you always wanted to learn a new skill. Isn’t it worth the risk to learn it? It might lead to a new position at work…or it might lead to a new career altogether. Or, it might just be fun and lead to a new hobby. You might make new friends with this new interest. Isn’t that worth the risk?
The bottom line
Not taking risks in life can put us into a rut. Since we already take risks in our everyday lives (watch out for dog tails and falling bricks), in our everyday habits (don’t use mascara if you are afraid you will poke yourself in the eye) and in our relationships (she could have said “no”, right?), why not choose to take on some controlled, deliberate, and calculated challenges to escape the rut, lessen the status quo, and take control…it will be worth the risk!
