Your Biggest Risk Is To Not Take A Risk

5 things you should think about when it comes to taking a risk

Risk is your best friend if you take a risk intelligently. We view risk in a negative light. That it’s dangerous. It’s unwise.

That’s the wrong mindset to take toward risk. Risk can be positive. It can be good. Risk is the price of success.

When you take a risk and succeed, you end up with a higher reward than if you took a more conservative approach. Taking calculated risk is a necessity step toward the path to success.

“20 years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” — Mark Twain, an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur

When you take risks, you’ll grow through the process. You’ll become more resilient. You’ll become more confident. When you build your risk skills, you’ll improve the chances of achieving your goals.

In today’s turbulent times, there is no such thing as playing it safe. You could play it safe and find yourself out of work. I have received the pink slip on Friday afternoon. It wasn’t fun but it was a blessing in disguise.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that’s changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” — Mark Zuckerberg, co-founder and CEO of Facebook

You don’t have to take a crazy risk, you just have to plan it out. You have to prepare to take risks. You have to educate yourself about the fall out and the potential win fall.

There are five things you should think about when it comes to taking a risk.

1. Don’t ask yourself “what if?”

You may look back after taking a risk and ask yourself “what if?” You may question yourself about a risk. You may wonder what if you would have done things differently. You can’t look back. Only look forward. When you fail, you walk away with more experience.

“Its better to shoot and miss, than to let time run out and wonder what if.” — Michael Jordan, a former American basketball player who led the Chicago Bulls to 6 NBA championships

Risks offer you an opportunity for internal growth. You can’t say “what if?”

2. Overcome the status quo

Many people are turned off by risk. They are more comfortable being comfortable with the status quo. To grow and to be successful, you have to be comfortable being uncomfortable.

To stand out from the crowd, you can’t settle for the the current state of things. Leaders don’t accept how things are now and don’t accept good enough. That leads to mediocrity.

“The manager accepts the status quo; the leader challenges it.” — Warren G. Bennis, an American scholar and author

Risk taking opens up your world to possibilities you never thought of. Risks is what distinguish the doers from the dreamers.

3. Embrace failure

Failure happens when you stop taking risks. To become successful, you have to embrace failure. Most people don’t like failure. I don’t blame them. It sucks. But doing something that you can fail at means you are doing something worthwhile. If you didn’t put yourself on a new, harder path, life would be boring and you wouldn’t grow. You would be stuck in neutral.

“Failure is not the opposite of success but a stepping stone to success.” — Arianna Huffington, co-founder of The Huffington Post

When you look back on your life, you’ll see that your biggest accomplishments most likely occurred after you have failed. Your failure leads to your success.

4. Have courage and don’t play it safe

Taking a risk is a great opportunity to show your courage. To achieve a goal you have to face the fear of uncertainty. Taking risks is a mindset. Playing it safe leads to less while taking a risk leads to more.

“Courage results when one’s convictions are bigger than one’s fears.” — Orrin Woodward, New York Times bestselling author

People who take a risk are bold and courageous. With courage comes confidence and with confidence comes success.

5. The pursuit of success

Nothing of value usually falls into your lap. You have to pursue success. Taking risks are a necessary step to actively pursue success. Risk takers are more likely to be successful because they don’t limit themselves and they are willing to put in the work that people who are risk-averse don’t.

“Think of success as a game of chance in which you have control over the odds.” — Robert Foster Bennett, an American businessman

To be successful, you have to chase it. When you chase something, you have to take risks.

Bringing it all together

It’s important to learn how to take proper risks and step outside your comfort zone. That's how you grow and become successful. When you avoid taking risk, you grow passive and let life happen to you instead of making life happen. You never know what can happen unless you take a chance. Don’t let that chance pass you by. Take a leap into the unknown. You won’t know unless you take a risk.

Join my email newsletter with 500+ people for a free eBook and more helpful insights.