RISKY BUSINESS

I’ve come to believe that one of the most significant deterrents to success, rampant within our known galaxy, is the simple fact that some people take too many precautions in life. They double-check, and triple-check, and they double-check their triple-check. They think, and they overthink. Often, this happens because a person is trying too hard to convince themselves that they don’t need to do something they know they need to do. 

Overthinking an issue is sometimes just a fancy way to make excuses.

The truth, however, is everywhere. If you haven’t noticed, you might be living in a cave with no internet, but we are amid the most significant technological explosion in human history. The digital age has created a world where you cannot spend too much time thinking about anything. If you do, you can be replaced instantly. 

Alfred Adler, the noted physician and psychiatrist, said that “The chief danger in life is that you may take too many precautions.” Adler suggests that the instinct to protect ourselves actually sabotages the very lives we are trying to protect. 

Being too safe is unproductive and boring. 

Analyzing your risks is very important, to a point. You need to understand the challenges and the opportunities. But to make it today, you need to be seen as a decision-maker who is willing to analyze the risks and take them. I love a quote by Amit Ray, who said, “A bird is safe in its nest- but that is not what its wings are made for.” 

An article by Thomas Oppong suggests that to start, you need to “Risk something small today. Not recklessly, but decisively.” If you spend your entire life and career planning, you may never achieve anything beyond a great plan. I have a buddy who is the ultimate sports fan; he would say, “Stop playing defense.” You can never score unless you take a shot at the goal. 

Not everything we do in life is going to work. We might win, or we might go down in flames, but we will have the everlasting satisfaction of having tried. Think about this. When you consider your life, the most terrifying thought I might ever have is to realize that you never, ever risked anything. As Mr. Oppong’s article suggests, the fear of risk doesn’t disappear; you stop letting it call the shots. 

So, get off the starting line and take a big old whack at life. What the hell. It might be fun.