Taking Risks
There come times in everyone's life when you're faced with a choice that involves risk. Perhaps you want to change careers, move to a different place, quit your job and start a business, begin a new relationship, have a child. Creatively, you may be faced with a choice of doing what you know is marketable or going out on a limb with your own vision, or giving up a steady job to follow your creative pursuits full-time.
Risk is, by nature, scary. It's uncertain and unpredictable. You're heading off into uncharted territory. You may lose your life savings or lose face. You risk criticism and humiliation, or having to pick up the pieces and start all over again. You're giving up what you know for what might be. The rewards can be great, but so can the cost.
So, why would anybody want to take a risk?
~ Risk gives you an opportunity to open up to your talents, interests, abilities and dreams.
~ Risk teaches you to set clear goals and follow through.
~ Risk allows you to feel powerful and proactive, making things happen rather than waiting for them to happen *to* you.
~ Risk opens you up to new ideas, skills, opportunities and experiences.
~ Risk allows you to grow and discover new things about yourself and the world, to develop your strengths and talents.
~ Risk allows you to conquer your fears.
~ Risk is exhilarating. It makes you come alive.
When it comes to risk-taking, there are two extremes. Some people are afraid to take even reasonable risks, wanting guaranteed results. This can result in a life that's flat and lackluster. Others take risks easily, believing that their willingness to leap makes them courageous. But taking major risks without thinking them through is foolish, and such people often find themselves picking up the pieces of shattered dreams.
According to Dan Borge, in "The Book of Risk ," risk means being exposed to the