What Does Risk Taking Mean To You?

Risk taking is necessary in everything we do; it must play a part in our work. I learned it years ago, although sometimes it's still hard to do.

Embrace your fears! Face them head on! Tell yourself that as a mantra; Look out FEAR, here I come!!!

Taking physical risks by skiing the black diamond off trail or riding your bike down steep trails is definitely not my thing. I am a seatbelt and helmet kind of person. I was never that comfortable with physical risks. My only competition for me to do better is myself. I say this, remembering that risk-taking is somewhat selective. I did the balance beam as a young person and thought nothing of doing the dangerous cartwheel on it. Hmmm…

However, you can’t excel if you don’t take risks. At this time, my risk taking is mostly intellectual. I push myself to always learn new things, put them into practice, and get better at everything. I never let the fear of not being good at something stop me from trying it. I was taught early on that improvement requires practice. I live by the 10,000 hours to mastery (Outliers) by Malcolm Gladwell, and I am grateful to Dr. Carol Dweck for her writing on the growth mindset. I probably have made a fool of myself more times than I can count. I have got fantastic anecdotes about this, beginning with my recent Google search for adult ballet classes.

I see risk taking as a “why” vs. “why not?”

When I think about the concept of failing well, fast failure, or risk taking, I recall this famous speech from President Kennedy foretelling the mission of the United States to expand the space program and dream big. It is a call to action.

“We choose to go to the moon,” President Kennedy said. “We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too.”

What is your risk-taking profile? How do you get yourself to do it, or is that your reason for being? Does it connect to goal setting?

I learned from a recent book, Scare Your Soul, by Scott Simon that you should start small. Just do something every day, no matter how small, that you fear. Maybe it’s calling to make that doctor’s appointment. Maybe it’s making calls to past customers or new customers. Maybe it’s that five mile hike uphill to a spectacular view. It doesn’t have to be something you don’t want to do. Maybe you really do; fear causes procrastination.

Your life can be an exercise in risk taking. Try new things without being afraid, or at least do not let the fear stop you. Urge people to push themselves beyond their comfort zones. It comes down to something pretty basic. If you don’t try, you will never know. And for sure, things will not change.

What’s it going to be? Venture to the dark side and do it?

Take it one day at a time.

It will benefit your business, your personal life, and your well-being.

Make crisis an opportunity. Be the best you can be and make the world a bit better for you having been here!