The Consequences of the Risks We Don’t Take

And the questions we need to ask ourselves.

At a primal level, we are wired for comfort, safety, and approval, as those were the things that helped to ensure our survival in our caveman days.

As we move through modern life, we are no longer at a high risk of bear attacks, and we don’t actually need to cling to a tribe and play it safe.

But often, we still want to.

It may not be an actual bear chasing us, but our behavior is being driven by the fear of the metaphorical bear in the form of rejection, failure, and disappointment.

Often there is a risk to going after what we want, whether our desire is related to work, money, hobbies, relationships, family, or even the freedom to express our true selves. And if we fear the possibility of rejection, failure, and disappointment more than we fear the possibility of never getting what we want, then we will continue to stay in our comfort zone.

And we will also never get what we want.

There are three main consequences to not taking the risk of going after what we want, and three related questions that we should be asking ourselves.

1. Not Getting What We Want

This one seems pretty straightforward. If we don’t try to do or get something then we won’t do it or get it.

But often we fool ourselves out of acknowledging this consequence by telling ourselves that one day we will start trying.

One day we will start training for a 5K. One day we will start writing. One day we will start our own business. One day we will look for a new job. One day we will move across the country. One day we will join a Meet-Up to make new friends. One day we will ask out our crush.

Maybe we even have a vision board with all of the things we want. But instead of taking steps towards our goals and dreams, we only dream about our goals and dreams.

And before we know it, one day turns into someday turns into never.

We continue to work at a job we hate. We lay on couch and watch TV instead of pursing hobbies. We scroll social media, envious of the people who are out doing fun things. We look at pictures of the person we want to go out with instead of asking them out.

One day rolls into the next and soon weeks or months or years have gone by and we’re still doing the same thing and never trying to get what we want.

But we don’t actually feel the impact of this consequence of knowing that we are never going to get what we want, because we hold onto false hope and live in denial by telling ourselves the “one day” lie.

The question to ask ourselves related to this consequence is:

How would I feel if I never get what I want?

2. The Regret of Not Knowing

There’s no guarantee that by going after something, we will get it.

Businesses fail. A place that seems like a wonderful place to live may not be a good fit. People don’t always like us the same way we like them.

But sometimes businesses succeed. Sometimes a place that seems wonderful really is a wonderful fit for us. And sometimes people do like us the same way that we like them.

The simple truth is that you don’t know unless you try. You will never know how amazing your life could be if you don’t try to live it in an amazing way.

The one thing that is worse than failing is not knowing if you could have succeeded, had you just tried.

If you don’t end up with what you want, it’s always better to know that you tried to get it, instead of forever wondering what might have been.

The question to ask ourselves related to this consequence is:

How would I feel if I knew I could have gotten what I wanted, if I had tried to get it?

3. Missing Out on Opportunities for Growth

No one enjoys feeling the emotions that go along with experiencing rejection, disappointment, and failure. But those experiences are often pivotal moments in our lives, and are filled with opportunities for growth.

Our negative experiences have the power to shape us even more than our positive experiences do. They are an important part of making us into the people who we are.

The people who achieve a lot in this lifetime are not the people who stay in their comfort zones. And they are not people who have never experienced rejection, failure, and disappointment.

In fact, the most successful people have probably experienced more rejection, failure, and disappointment than the average person. The difference is that they have accepted those experiences as being a necessary part of a life well lived, and they have learned to manage the emotions created by those experiences.

They are ok with feeling uncomfortable emotions.

They have learned they are not defined by whether they get what they want or not. But they can go to sleep at night knowing that they tried, instead of wondering what might have been.

And they know the more times they try, the more likely they are to get what they want.

Accordingly, they end up with more of what they want in life because they don’t let the failures get them down. They have developed the confidence, strength, and resiliency to pick themselves up and keep going and going.

The question to ask ourselves related to this consequence is:

Who could I become if I dared to step out of my comfort zone?

Final Thoughts

Talented musicians have songs that flop. A top director doesn’t put out a hit movie every time. Incredible athletes miss shots and drop balls.

The more times you play the game, the more chances you have to lose, but also, the more opportunities you have to win. If you never play, you’ll never lose, but you’ll never win either.

And you’ll also never get better.

Be Open Says;

Proudly we present you 1 of Be Open Platinum Stories created by: Deblina Roy

Approved by Be Open’s Editor: A Shayens Abran