Risk Allows Us To Blossom

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ~ Mark Twain

To fully experience life, we must take risks. Risk means getting out of our comfort zone and that is different for every person. It means taking a chance to explore, dream, discover and yes, even fail.

As influential author and thinker, Peter Drucker said, “People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.”

The thought of taking a risk makes most of us feel vulnerable.  It takes guts to break out of our comfort zone. The list of fears we can come up with not to do something is endless.

What if I fail?

What if I make a fool of myself?

What will everyone think?

There are a million reasons not to change or do anything that scares us. But at some point, we are motivated to take action out of discomfort or from inspiration.

And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom. ~Anis Nin

With risk also comes reward. It can provide deep, meaningful relationships, a new career path, appreciation of new foods or places, discovering in yourself new physical, mental or emotional capabilities.

Risk really is worth it.

Risk makes us blossom, enriches and colors our lives, enhances our happiness and encourages growth.

Some people are natural risk takers but many of us aren’t. Those ‘what if” scenarios always seem to hinder our ability to take the leap.

Understanding the stages of the risk-taking process can often provide a feeling of self-control, allowing us to make a move.  Once we take one risk, we discover that the things we worried about and fretted over were our talented imaginations working overtime.

Stages of the Risk-Taking Process

Discovery

•  Become aware of your dissatisfaction with your current situation.
•  Recognize the wish and the need, to change.

Questioning

• The second step is ambivalence, should I or shouldn’t I?
• Uncertainty and anxiety can be minimized by gathering information and seeking support from others.

Planning

• Reducing the scale of the risk by restructuring it is often useful. For example, rather than quitting your job to go back to school, can you work part time so you’ll have a steady income for a while?
• Reduce the irreversibility by laying down safety nets. Consider possible outcomes and have a back-up plan to lessens the anxiety.

Envisioning

• Envision the positive.  All-or-nothing thinking can leave you unable to move forward. It’s easier to stay in your cocoon, safe, secure, and stuck.
• Once you make the decision to take a particular risk, sleep on it.  See what your dreams tell you.  Envision yourself in your new situation and see what feelings come up.

“What great thing would you attempt if you knew you could not fail?” ~ Robert Schuller

Making it Happen

• Once you’ve gone through the other steps, it’s time to take the plunge.
• Pop the question, sign up for an art or computer course, take that exotic vacation, begin writing your novel, tell the people you care about that you love them.
• Once you’ve made the leap, be sure to celebrate, rejoice, and be happy, even if things don’t work out quite the way you anticipated.

Security is mostly a superstition. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. ~ Helen Keller

Live life as the adventure it is meant to be.

 

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