You Have to Take Risks

Some of us are naturally more risk-averse than others. But take a moment to consider the path of the Mark Zuckerbergs and Bills Gates of this world, and it soon becomes clear that an element of risk-taking has to accompany progression and success.

Rarely will anybody suggest or advise you to take risks – in fact, quite the contrary. This is understandable to a certain extent; employers generally expect their workforce to actively avoid and mitigate risks, whilst friends and family have your best interests at heart and won’t readily associate those with risk-taking. Never was this more apparent to me than when I turned to my brother for advice about whether to transfer degree subjects. His answer was a resounding ‘No!’, but I ultimately went against his advice and carved a fantastic and rewarding career off the back of the degree switch. It made me realize that risks are something you need to choose to assume for yourself.

The opportunity for risk-taking comes in a myriad of shapes and sizes. It can be as trivial as changing your daily breakfast order from a chocolate croissant to French toast to finally plucking up the courage to quit the job you’ve always hated and branch out into something new. Experimenting with the smaller risks, and getting exposure to the sensation of risk-taking, inevitably leads to a level of comfort with the process. This, in turn, facilitates better judgment when it comes to the bigger decisions in life – and it’s in these areas that shrewd risk-taking can really pay off.

Risky Business

Moving forward into unknown territory, especially without all of the relevant information at your fingertips, can be a scary prospect. But taking action in this way has the potential to open up a world of possibilities and opportunities. Show gratitude and understanding towards those who have the courage to take opportune risks, and be determined and encouraged to do the same. Gratitude, understanding, determination, and encouragement are the tenets of a GudeJob!

1. Size Up the Risk Magnitude

• Understand the difference between taking a risk versus making a downright bad move. This can be negligible but will come with experience, which in itself will only come with practice!
• Ask yourself what’s at stake when taking any risk. The more you have to lose, the more carefully you should assess how comfortable you feel acting upon your urge.
• Try to focus on the potential positive outcomes of taking a particular risk, not just the possible negative consequences – the former are just as worthy of your attention as the latter.

2. Bite the Bullet

• Once you’ve determined the risk levels to be acceptable, follow your gut instinct and go for it!
• Taking risks will often involve taking an objective look at your life, and compel you to prioritize what’s most important in the ‘bigger picture’. This is a healthy byproduct of risk-taking, so embrace it.
• Notice the triumphs that can flow as a result of intelligent risk-taking. These abound in all areas of life, from enhanced career progression to a more prosperous family environment, and even a healthier existence.

3. Don’t Let Others Dissuade You

• Listen to words of risk-related caution from well-meaning mentors, but avoid blindly following them without weighing up the pros and cons for yourself.
• Be aware that risk-taking and recklessness are not the same thing.. Throwing caution to the wind without deliberation is reckless; carefully evaluating the merits and downfalls of taking action is the foundation of sensible risk-taking.
• When your instinct tells you a risk is worth taking, even if on paper it seems unwise, trust your intuition. Taking some of the bigger decisions in life requires nerves of steel, and these can falter without faith in your sixth sense.

4. Learn from Experience

• You create your own luck in life, a great deal of which stems from taking risks.
• Don’t feel foolish for getting it wrong sometimes. At least you had the guts to try, and most people will respect your strength of character for it.
• Don’t let one bad experience put you off taking future risks. Learn from the experience and your judgement will be better honed to gauge future gambles.

Harvest Endless Possibilities

Some of the best things in life are borne from taking risks. Take having kids as an example – it’s one of the riskiest decisions anyone can make, but is hugely gratifying when the circumstances are appropriate. Granted, not all risks will pay off – it’s in their nature. In acknowledging this, also keep in mind that they say you only ever regret those decisions in life that you didn’t take. Living with the uncertainty of never knowing what could have been, had you been braver, can be detrimental to your self-worth. Don’t run the risk of letting that happen.