Life is nothing more than a series of calculated risk. Everything you do in life has some measure of risk involved – walking, eating, working, studying etc., and you can never have a 100% certainty about anything.
There is a chance of completely failing in whatever we do. Whether you agree or not, either you know it or you don’t, but we risk everything, every day of our lives.
There is a chance that we might choke while eating or drinking ordinary water, there is also a chance that strolling outside can kill us.
There is a chance that as we embark on that journey, we may not get to our destination, that we may not see our loved ones we had promised to see again.
There is also a chance that tomorrow with all our plans and aspirations may not come, a chance that things we had planned to do and achieve may not happen.
So, you see that this life is all about risks – you win some and lose others, you take some and leave/avoid others.
The totality of your life depends on the decisions and choices you make, the risks you take or is willing to take, and how blessed/lucky or unlucky you have been.
However, there are certain risks you cannot afford to take, like driving with your eyes closed, walking across a road with a blindfold, etc.; but there are some that are very important and necessary if you really want to make it in life.
Why do we need to take risks?
1. Some great and amazing opportunities come from risk-taking
While some risks don’t pay off, there are a whole lot of others that do.
2. It helps build confidence.
Taking risks can help you stand out as a confident person. It can also present you as a leader who is not comfortable with the status quo.
3. It teaches us some great lessons that can help us discover new things.
It provides opportunity for internal growth.
4. Success will not come to you – you have to pursue it
Nothing good comes easy, and that includes success, neither does it come cheap or fall on your laps. You have to play your part to be successful, you have to pursue it, put in great efforts and make a lot of sacrifice in order to achieve it.
5. You can’t achieve anything (success) by playing safe.
Risk-taking opens you up to a whole lot of opportunities and possibilities that you never thought of. For example, a fisherman cannot catch fish if he is afraid of the water, he has to launch in deep into the water to be able to do that.
6. Taking risk helps you overcome the fear of failure
Arianna Huffington identified the fear of failure as a major roadblock to success. She told Business Insider last year:
“We women are a little more risk-averse because whenever you launch something there’s a big chance it’s not going to work. And we have a bigger problem with failure ... [Women deal with] what I call the obnoxious roommate living in our head that constantly puts us down, doesn’t want us to fail because we become identified with our successes and failures”.
But failure, Huffington insists, isn’t the end of one’s journey to success, but usually the beginning.
7. Taking a risk means taking it fully and completely
If you want to and have to take risk, it should not be haphazardly, you have to be prepared and there is the need to follow through. You also have to educate yourself about it and be prepared in case of any possible fallout.
...to be continued
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