The Bling Bling of the Risk Thing

The Land of "Comfortable Enough"

2008-06-24T12:07:00.000-07:00

Are you living in the land of "Comfortable Enough"? Do you know how you got there or why you stay? Do you really want to stay - or would you rather move to the land of your dreams?

Whether or not we make plans to do something big, life goes on. We start at one point when we’re born and continually move forward. Time never stops; it never slows down to wait for us to plan or take action; and it never turns back so we can capture something we may have missed along the way.

At one point, life opens up before us like a wide crevasse. Our current life is where we are now. The life of our dreams is on the other side of the crevasse.

In between – in the crevasse – lies an alternate life waiting for us. If we don’t make plans before we arrive at the crevasse to reach the life of our dreams, and if we don’t act on those plans before we get to the edge, we will simply fall into whatever life happens to be there when we arrive.

Most of us don’t plan or act quickly enough, and we land in the crevasse. Many of us land near the top, in what I call the land of “comfortable enough”. This can be a very dangerous place to live because things are "good enough," so there’s no pull to do anything differently. In fact, we’re afraid to try, for fear of losing our place there and falling further into the crevasse, making our life worse!

But if we continue to do nothing different, we could stay there forever, never quite reaching the life of our dreams... or we may continue the downward slide, not realizing we’re slipping further into the crevasse, letting the life of our dreams slip further and further out of view. We fool ourselves into believing things are fine, and allow a worse life to sneak up on us, and before we know it, we're at the bottom of the crevasse without realizing how or when we got there!

It doesn’t matter where in the crevasse we land. If we’re in the crevasse, we’re not in the life of our dreams!

Are you in the crevasse? Are you trying to climb out of it?

Lots of obstacles are placed in our way as we try to climb out, but we must do whatever it takes if we’re ever to reach our biggest dreams in life! At one point, I was so far down in the crevasse that I could barely see the sunlight. But an arose one day that forced me to face reality and DECIDE, once and for all, whether it was time to take action and change my life, or continue lamenting the fact that I hadn't reached the land of my dreams.

In an instant, your life can begin to change if you make the conscious decision to seize opportunities as they come along and take action to accomplish your dreams.

Make that decision today... take the risk to help yourself move out of the land of "comfortable enough" and into the land of your dreams.

Quotes on Taking Risk

2008-03-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Because we all need to be inspired to overcome our fears and take risks, I've included a post of great quotes on taking risks I hope will inspire you to take more of your own:

It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.
- Seneca

If you don't risk anything, you risk even more.
- Erica Jong

Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
- Unknown

Progress always involves risk; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first base.
- Frederick Wilcox

If you are never scared, embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take chances.
- Julia Soul, Actress

Yes, risk-taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing taking.
- Tim McMahon

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
- Helen Keller, 1880-1968, Blind/Deaf Author and Lecturer

A ship in the harbor is safe. But that's not what ships are built for.
- Anonymous

People who don’t take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year. People who do take risks generally make about two big mistakes a year.
– Peter Drucker

Observe the turtle, who only makes progress when his neck is out.
- Unknown

If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise.
- Robert Fritz

Often the difference between a successful man and a failure is not one's better abilities or ideas, but the courage that one has to bet on his ideas, to take a calculated risk and to act.
- Dr. Maxwell Maltz, Author of "Psycho-Cybernetics"

Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy.
- Robert Anthony

You miss 100% of the shots you never take.
– Wayne Gretzky

Take chances, make mistakes. That's how you grow. Pain nourishes your courage. You have to fail in order to practice being brave.
- Mary Tyler Moore, Actress

To play it safe is not to play.
- Robert Altman, Filmmaker

Yes, risk-taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing taking.
- Tim McMahon

Care more than others think is wise
Risk more than others think is safe
Dream more than others think is practical
Expect more than others think is possible.
- Cadet Maxim or Claude Thomas Bissell

Categories and Levels of Risk

2008-03-14T09:38:00.000-07:00

We often think of risk as one big "blob" of a concept... risk is risk, and that's all there is to it. "I'm not a risk-taker" becomes the mantra of those who are missing a very important concept:

There are different categories of risk, as well as several levels of risk within each category. It is not necessary (or appropriate) to take the same level of risk in all categories. Simply because you take action in one category of risk does not mean you must take risk in all categories, or in all categories equally.

Let's take a look at the major categories of risk. They are:

Physical (skydiving and other physical risks fall into this category)

Emotional (risks involving love, trust, and other personal feelings and emotions are here)

Financial (these relate to investing, earning power, saving and spending)

Position/Power (this category involves your position and influence at work, as well as your standing in the community)

In which categories do you need to take more risk... or maybe even less risk? Appropriate levels of risk vary widely from person to person.

The first three are are fairly obvious:

Low: At this level, a salesperson may not make outbound sales calls, but is simply be waiting for sales to "magically" come to him; or a single person desires a companion, but doesn't go anywhere appropriate where other singles with his or her interests congregate.

Moderate: At the Moderate level, someone may go to a networking or singles event, but spend the evening talking only to people they know - or possibly talking to no one at all.

High: When we're operating at a High level of risk, we're making not only hot and warm calls, but cool and cold calls (if necessary), or going to networking events and making new contacts, or joining a service that can provide contacts we can meet.

We can all identify with these levels of risk, but too many of us are stuck at the Lowest Level, where the risk is low, but unfortunately so are the rewards. Most of us need to focus on appropriately increasing the level of risk we take in our personal and professional lives, in order to reap higher rewards and achieve our dreams.

The fourth level (the one to avoid) is the STUPID level (yes, there is a stupid level)! This level involves going too far without careful consideration and analysis of the risk's consequences. A stupid risk is one done in haste, without good reason, or without consideration for the safety and security of yourself or others. (One example is from a story on distracted drivers published in Reader's Digest, which described a woman who actually admitted to shaving her legs while driving her car!). I don't think any of us would disagree that this was a stupid risk!

We also see a lot of teenagers at this level; they feel invincible, as though "that would never happen to me." As we review our own actions for purpose and meaning, we must also encourage our teens to begin considering purpose, reason and consequences for their actions.

Never compare your risk level with someone else's. This will only make you feel falsely inferior (or superior) to someone else. Your appropriate level is determined by your current position in life, your experiences and background - in essence, it is very personal and subjective, based on the factors in your life that make you YOU. What you may consider to be no risk at all could be a huge risk for someone else - and vice versa. Take risks in appropriate steps, at appropriate levels for your experience and goals, and make a commitment to increase them as needed to achieve the next step of the journey.

All risks must serve a purpose - to achieve a dream. You can't take more risks if you don't identify which should be taken and what it will accomplish. Therefore, you must first identify and clearly articulate your dream. Once this is done, you will be able to identify the fears holding you back, as well as the specific risks necessary to overcome those fears and achieve your dreams.

Have you identified your dreams? Have you taken the risk to tell anyone about them, so they can encourage you and hold you accountable?

What dreams and risks have you identified? How will you achieve them? I'd love to know!

Jumping Out of a Plane

2008-03-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

"So, when are you going skydiving, Sandy?"

I am asked this question in virtually every program in which I speak about taking risks. And why not? It's a great question! Skydiving has become the quintessential symbol of risk-taking, chosen by many as the method with which to end one phase of life and begin another.

Some people go skydiving when they turn 18, to signify their entry into the "adult" world; others I know have done it after a marriage (to celebrate their entry into a new partnership) or upon their divorce becoming final (to signify freedom!). Whatever the reason, skydiving can be an inspiring symbol of a new phase of risk-taking in your life.

But please don't let it begin and end there... after all, risk is not about jumping out of a plane...

it's about jumping out of your SELF...

It's about letting go of whatever fears have held you back. It's about allowing a whole new energy to come forth in place of fear... in other words, jumping out of your old (fearful) self and jumping into a whole new self who is not afraid to do what you've been promising to do - a self who is now willing to take continuous action to accomplish it.

While jumping out of a plane (or whatever other action you choose) is a great starting point, it must not - and CANNOT - be the one and only time you take a new risk, or it will have been done for nothing. A one-time risk doesn't cause lasting change in your life. It will always be a great memory - but what will it have done to bring you even one step closer to your dreams if you don't build upon the momentum begun by that action?

If you've ever taken a one-time risk, such as jumping out of a plane, I'd love to hear whether or not you've done anything else to build on that momentum. If so, what have you done? And if not, why not?

Why Do They Do It?: The “Why” Behind Inappropriate Risk-Taking

2008-03-14T08:27:00.000-07:00

While I am very interested in discovering how and why people motivate themselves to take reasonable and appropriate risks, in light of the events of the past week in which it was revealed that now-former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer was involved in illegal activities involving high-priced prostitutes, I now have another burning question:

Why do they do it? Why would anyone take the chance of ruining everything they’ve worked for their whole lives, on something like this?

The most interesting thing is that Spitzer (dubbed “Mr. Clean” by the press) got into office for his crusades against white collar crime, insider trading and two other prostitution rings, while actually participating in it himself. In addition to the morality and other obvious charges, he may also be facing charges of money-laundering and conspiracy due to the way he structured payments to the call-girl in order to evade bank-reporting requirements.

So we come back to the question of WHY?

Some people have suggested it’s not about the sex, it’s about power and money…

Others say it’s not about anything but self-gratification and selfishness – and that they’re really not thinking of the risks involved – or anything or anyone else, for that matter.

Still others think that these individuals believe they’re above the law or immune to controversy and adverse consequences.

But a more intriguing suggestion has been posed that the danger and the risk are PRECISELY why they do it – they love the rush, the excitement and the thrill of doing something that pushes the envelope just so far, in order to see how far they can push it without getting caught.

The problem is that if you aren’t sure exactly where those boundaries are (and who is, when it comes to taking risks), the consequences of inappropriate risk – or risk for the wrong reason – can be dire, not only for you but for your loved ones as well.

Hopefully, most of us are taking reasonable and appropriate risks, for the right reasons – and we can learn a lot from the thoughts, actions and habits of people who do this; but without also examining the question of how and why people take inappropriate risks, I believe we’re missing a very important piece of the equation.

In this post, I invite your thoughts on why people take INappropriate risks, with possibly dire consequences:

What have you seen others do, or possibly done yourself, and WHY did they do it (or why do you think they did it)?

All Bling Requires Risk

2008-03-02T08:33:00.000-08:00

Everyone is consumed with "bling" nowadays - the shiny, glittery, fancy "stuff" in our lives.

But bling doesn't have to be material, nor does it have to cost a lot. Bling can be the non-material, feel-good stuff that inspires us to greatness every day. From emotional bling (such as finding the love of your life) to financial bling (such as creating the company, income and lifestyle of your dreams) to philanthropic bling (such as making a difference in the life of one child or in the lives of millions of people worldwide), all bling has one thing in common:

Someone had to take a risk to get it...

This blog is devoted to finding out what kinds of risks you've taken to create breakthroughs in your personal or professional life, how you overcame your fear in order to take those risks, and the rewards you've reaped, simply by taking a chance!

I'd love to hear from you, so we can find out what makes people tick, share stories to inspire others to succeed - and even ask advice on what to do if you're just plain old "stuck" in neutral!

Take the risk... share your stories. I look forward to your posts -

Sandy Geroux