Life is About Taking Risks – Not Playing Safe 

Cover photo: Sammie Chaffin on Unsplash

You must proactive, not reactive.

Perhaps you only save money when you choose to travel for holidays, doing whatever it takes to make a trip possible. But once the break is over, you go back to your routine, not saving unless another trip is in sight. 

A conscious human life is not meant to be based simply on reactions or responding to whims, like plants or animals, which react to temporary external stimulus. 

For the most part, people work harder when a challenge is on the horizon, neglecting the chance to pursue a more valuable goal. 

Through challenge, you propel yourself forward, and by intentionally taking risks, you ensure your personal growth.

“If you want something you’ve never had, you must be willing to do something you’ve never done.” Thomas Jefferson.

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Nothing is Worthwhile Unless You Take Risks

To some extent, what is hindering you from accepting risks and achieving your goals is the fear of failure, along with the fear of judgement. 

There is no glory without the risk of failure. How can you tell if your relationship ends in divorce or your company goes bankrupt? The only choice is to accept the risk of running your own business, fall in love, and do whatever you wish. 

Take the risk and expect results, or don’t take any and expect nothing in return.

Let’s Take a Glimpse at Schrödinger’s Cat  

It was a thought experiment where a hypothetical cat was put into a steel box with a poisonous gas and a slight amount of a radioactive substance. After an hour, this substance had an equal probability that one atom could either decay or not. 

Also, there was a Geiger counter attached to a hammer. If it detected radioactivity, it would break the glass, releasing the poison, thus killing the cat. 

There was no way to see what would happen inside the box while still closed, making it impossible to determine the animal’s fate. With the container sealed, the cat existed in a superposition of states: both alive and dead. Only opening the box would reveal the outcome. 

Taking this premise, you cannot know the result of anything, of any project, or personal endeavour until you have started it. Never be afraid to take risks.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” Mark Zuckerberg.

Don’t Be Terrified of Failing

Doing what scares you the most leads to success. God places the best things of life out of your comfort zone.

In the wake of a setback, there should be a takeaway. It’s all about learning, not to mention improving. 

If you fall, rise again and again. Every time you stand up, you have an advantage: fresh knowledge coupled with experience. Turn it into your favour. 

After falling from a bicycle, you understand the reason you fell, so in the future you’d be aware, correcting any possible mistakes. The path to the finish line is teemed with hurdles but also with the possibilities of jumping them.  

“You have to risk falling to be able to fly.” Debasish Mridha.

You Are Your Own Superhero

First and foremost, you are the one who will come to your rescue when in need of help, the lifebuoy in the middle of the ocean. In all likelihood, your true potential breaks the surface when you skate on thin ice. 

Everybody fails at some stage, but accepting failure makes you more reluctant to give up and braver to continue, thereby conquering your fears. 

You might either lose, embarrass yourself, or be frustrated, but move on despite the odds. 

Allow yourself the freedom to take risks and start something you want. Above all, remember that failure is the steppingstone to victory. Every setback creates the experience that leads to wisdom, but more tellingly, the best version of yourself. 

God favours the bold.

“Taking risks is better than regretting. Besides, What is life without a little risk?” J. K. Rowling