Test - Can You Take Risk?
How many projects did you avoid because they involved too much risk?
Or, how many times did you want to say no to a new opportunity and then decide to go for it, even though you were scared?
This blog discusses the importance of taking risks. It talks about how as humans we're naturally bad at assessing risk, and will always overestimate the negative and underestimate the positive. It also includes a personality quiz that measures your tendency towards risks. Turn up the volume on your introvert time if your answers tend towards avoiding it! This might help perk up an otherwise lackluster effort.
It's true that there are risks in everything we do and we should never be blindsided by them. However, the risks we take are not in the same league as if you had to take a life or die for it. Don't go around thinking that risk is always bad. It's just something to be aware of. In fact, I challenge you to read this article and talk about how many risks you've taken and also how many opportunities have passed your by because they involved too much risk. If you do make a difference, I'll personally buy you a beer!
The Goal of this Article
The goal of this article is to get people thinking about the importance of taking risks in their lives. The goal is not to get people taking insane amounts of unnecessary risks (though if you do, hey... go for it!). So please do take this article seriously, but also have some fun with it.
The Importance of Taking Risks
There are some people who will read this and say that they're not the type to take risks. I guarantee that you have taken risks in your lifetime. If you've never ventured out to meet new people or tried any crazy new things, then yes, you haven't taken any risks because in essence... risk equals the potential for loss and gain. The goal of this article is to get you thinking about the value of taking risks, so as we move through I want you to make a list of every risk that's ever worked out positively in your life (and not just small stuff). When you're finished, we'll also talk about the downside of taking risks, which could be a shocker.
A lot of people prefer to take risks in small doses, as opposed to all at once. I've found that on average it takes about one major strike to go from being risk averse to risk taker; where you've backed down from the biggest life changing opportunity only because it was too risky.
So, what kind of Risk Takers are we talking about? Robin Sharma explains in this video that "risk takers are those who have a habit of taking risks. They take risks when they should be prudent and when they should be cautious. Because they're willing to take any risk." Pretty neat; it has taken me years to learn the lesson that if you're not willing to take risks... you shouldn't have any business taking them.
What is Risk All About?
When I got my first real job at 20 years old, I was used to people telling me how stupid I was for leaving college with no degree and a crappy job at the local pizza shop to go back to school for a four year degree. I was also used to the classic "You're such a hard worker" or "you're so smart, you need to be smart about this."
I decide that it was time to take a risk. I had been working part-time at the restaurant for two years and had been completely miserable. I didn't like the job, but I realized it was time to take a chance and make my dreams come true. This was a risk because I was giving up guaranteed money for an opportunity that might not work out. However, this is my favorite story about taking risks because it worked out so well for me; ultimately allowing me the financial stability (and freedom) to make more riskier decisions in the future without worrying about money. If I had taken the easy job, I would have ended up like most of my fellow graduates; working a 40 hour week at minimum wage sitting in my apartment feeling guilty about what I was doing with my life.
I knew deep down that I would regret not going for the risk. When you're young, you can't imagine having more time and money to work on yourself and making sure your dreams come true... which is one of the reasons why it's so difficult to become an adult.
Walking through doors giving up guaranteed cash flows is never easy. It's important to realize though that if you're risk averse, chances are good you're going to end up regretting your choices later down the road... even if you're never aware. I worked part-time at the restaurant while I was going to school full-time, and people loved to tell me how smart I was for taking a part time job in my free time. All this did though was remind me that I should have been working towards something more than making pizzas for the local college students who didn't appreciate what they had.
To me, risk is about going out of your comfort zone and doing something that you don't know will work out for you; either because it could get worse or better than what you're used to. When you're an adult, you can't fathom the idea of trying something new because you fear that it will be a failure. Open your mind up though. Take risks for what's best for YOU and not just for the money or "what's good for everybody else".
When I was in college, I would always hear people talk about how they didn't want to take risks in the job hunt because they would follow their passion and not do anything that wasn't exciting or enjoyable. This is a really bad way to live life, and if this is how you make decisions then I guarantee that your life will be full of regret.
I have been in this exact situation, and as a result of my poor decisions, I ended up working for $8/hour washing clothes for other people on a ship (up to 10 hours per day) when I should have been back in school. Despite the fact that I had great grades, it took me until almost 30 to realize that risk is all about going after what makes you happy... not what's the easy way out.
I'll be honest with you; when people told me that washing clothes wasn't going to be such a bad job, it was because they were too afraid to take risks; or they didn't believe in their true dreams. This has happened time and time again throughout history.
Conclusion
I'm going to leave you with a list of reasons why you should not be afraid to take risks, and actually how to accept them:
* Risk taking is how we discover new opportunities in life * Taking risks is the best way to learn about your true abilities, passions and interests in life * Taking risks gives you room for growth as a person * Without taking risks, you'll regret your past decisions later down the road * Successful people often take the most risks because they understand that it's one of the few ways to achieve their goals * Life involves risk; whether you want it to or not * Building relationships is extremely hard without taking risks because you're coming from a place where nobody "knows" each other * If there were.