Risk-Takers Have More Fun
Risk-Takers are my kind of people.
This is true, partially because I see a bit of myself in Risk-Takers and partially because I think they choose to thrust themselves into ambiguity more than most and that sh*t is scary. Risk can look like deciding to stay on a path that you’ve already chosen, making a change to another path you’ve never tried before or creating a whole new path. But every risk requires a decision, and acknowledging your accountability in that decision.
I haven’t always been a Risk-Taker, in fact I was a pretty shy kid growing up just wrapped in fear about straying too far from the norm. Since childhood, I’ve developed a tolerance for taking a leap even if I have no clue what’s on the other side. And it’s not all sunshine. I’ll be the first to admit that there are so many tough days where I second guess myself and my decisions. A sure-fired symptom of any Risk-Taker. But I’ve learned to understand where I need help and how to ask for it. I lean heavily on my support system to bring me stability in more ways than one as I have chosen to de-stabilize my life voluntarily. Whether it’s been my therapist and my family providing emotional support or my friends and mentors providing intellectual guidance, I absolutely could not do this alone. And I’m so grateful for these people.
As I’ve reflected on the amazing clients I’ve worked with over the past year, one thing each of them has in common was being a Risk-Taker. Whether it was an athlete deciding she was going to continue playing her sport and wanting to prepare herself for life when she’s done, an entrepreneur who decided to leave his corporate job to start his own venture or a CEO who is navigating a tough economic climate while growing her international digital sports platform. Each story represents a different level of risk but the common work we do together is try to bring clarity to their decisions, so they can continue to keep taking risks with more confidence.
What defines a Risk-Taker?
Risk-Takers are people who decide to do something despite the uncertainty they may have about the outcome of that decision. So many self-helpers talk about enjoying the journey vs. the destination. I think people who take big risks actually live this tenet. Making a decision to do something that you have no clue where it will take you is acknowledging the journey exists. You may make a decision based on the information you have today and what you can see for the immediate future, but the outcome hasn't yet shown itself. This takes some grit. And this is why I love working with Risk-Takers. They tend to know how to work really, really hard on their journey to unveil the outcome they’ve been dreaming of.
How Taking a Risk Helps you Thrive.
Taking a risk prepares you for the unforeseen changes in your life. When you inject instability into your life voluntarily, you begin building muscles for coping in ambiguity. This is a huge benefit when change happens unexpectedly. Knowing how you handle yourself in times of uncertainty, when it’s self-provoked, can give you an understanding of how you’ll react to circumstances when you didn’t see them coming. I’ve seen this give leaders, athletes and entrepreneurs an advantage as they continue to expose themselves to risk, learn from their past and exercise their coping muscles.
Risk-Takers — eventually — start believing inherently that today’s version of themselves and every future version is capable of handling what will come their way. This is where real self-transformation can start to come to life. When you prove to yourself again and again that you didn’t see a situation coming, you handled your sh*t anyway and everything was okay at the end of the day, you begin collecting evidence of your resilience. This is not to say you should keep doing risky things every time just because you're capable. However, when you believe that your future self is able to handle whatever situation will come your way, it can allow some space in your psyche where anxiety may have lived before.
Thriving typically means you’ve got some basics down about surviving. In all honesty, surviving is a place so many of us live day to day. But when Risk-Takers get their reps in and decide to take chances to prove themselves, they elevate to thriving. Thriving being a space where creativity flows a bit more naturally, confidence reigns supreme in their minds and their fears shift into knowing they can and will handle a situation when they need to.
Not sure you’re a Risk-Taker? Start here.
So if you’re reading this thinking, how do I know my risk-tolerance? How do I decide which risk to take first? Confidence sounds nice, when do I get more of that?
Here are a few approachable next steps…
Think about a time in your past when you endured a risk. What was the situation? Did you see it coming or did you induce the risk? How did you feel in the moment vs. how do you feel now?
Now look at your life today. What is one area you’d like to change? Write down 3 possible outcomes if you were to make a change. Be as detailed as possible about your life after making the decision:
Ideal outcome
Middle of the road
Worst-case scenario
What does your support system look like today? Think about emotional, financial and mental circumstances. If you were to take a risk, which of these areas would become destabilized? Do you feel confident you have sufficient support in place to help you maintain sanity and balance if you inject a little risk into your life? If not, how can you make some moves to shore up these gaps?
We all have different appetites for risk. Figuring out yours will take some introspection, but I promise Risk-Takers have more fun. Learn more about my work with Risk-Takers here.
We only get one run,
— A
