Risk

I’m not naturally a risk-taker, I’ve learned. I need a certain dose of adventure and variety, but often I stick to the tried-and-true, and actually seek out certain measures of social validation before jumping in to something. Sometimes that is wise. Sometimes it’s just fear, likely.

Don and I spoke today about the importance of the habit of risk-taking. Risk is a natural reality of any growth curve. When you start something new, at minimum, you risk losing the time you choose to invest. In other circumstances, you could risk injury (like with snowboarding!), loss of income (starting a business) or social status or even just a bruised ego (just going against the grain).

BUT what you gain is the confidence to step into the unknown – to new things. And not only that, but you learn the new skills that help you to become an expert. An expert in something actually lowers her risk because she’s more aware of all the possible downfalls – either from her own experience or from keen observation when digging down deep into something.

Perceived risk is what we should actually avoid. Not risk. 🙂 I’m learning.