Life’s full of risks isn’t it?
When we take risks we feel invigorated, we feel anticipation often tinged with a sense of discomfort becauses we’re not sure what the outcome will be. But how boring life would be if we were sure of the outcome of our actions at every step of the way.
Small risks, big risks – it really boils down to taking intelligent risks as opposed to stupid risks, and ultimately, what your personal risk profile is. Entrepreneurs are traditionally regarded as risk takers, I guess that’s so by definition. We like to be on the edge (to a sensible degree) and to get out of our comfort zones (again to a sensible degree – if we start to get into a panic zone instead, we’ve obviously taken a less than intelligent risk for where we are in our personal development at that moment)
It’s also about balance. I remember my mother saying that I should open my own business. In my twenties I never even contemplated it, the whole idea seemed far too risky and not in line with where I was in my life. In my twenties I needed to establish myself in my profession and feel secure.
My thirties were a different decade and a different me, I NEEDED to get out of my comfort zone and the universe brought me the opportunity to move countries and some years later have my own business. It was as though I had to balance the years of conventional moving up the professional scale with something new and unpredictable. What’s interesting is that I didn’t look for these opportunities, they just presented themselves. That’s something that I’ve noted along the years, that it’s very difficult for me to say no to opportunites that are not too risky. This returns us to my favourite topic – of going through the door that the universe opens for you; in my case I sort of get pushed through without too much thought on my part. If it feels right I’ll do it – as long as it’s not too risky in the sense that I’m not risking sacrificing my closest relationships or my economic survival.
Returning to intelligent risks versus stupid risks, perhaps the most intelligent risks we can take are those that only require an investment of time. Maybe it’s a project that we’ve always wanted to work on, write a book for example. What stops us taking these sort of risks? It could be that we have acquired habits of working and living that don’t permit us the time windows to follow through on these opportunities. What a shame! Or perhaps it’s because we’re not operating from a stand point of long term vision. As with anything, the return on investment can be long term, so it can be with certain risk taking.
And what about taking a risk by ASKING someone for something. The real risk here is zero, however the imagined risk is rejection, imagined because the rejection is only as we percieve it in our minds. To be successful you have to take risks, and one ot the risks is the willingness to risk rejection.
Are you taking enough risks in your life to move you forward? Or do you have the sensation that nothing eventful or significant is happening to you? And to finish with a very powerful question – where does responsibility for that sensation lie?
