Taking A Risk

Over the past few days I have been rereading a book I picked up about 6 years ago. The book is Failing Forward – Turning Mistakes into Stepping Stones for Success by John Maxwell. Maxwell is a prolific writer whose books are filled with salient observations.

This week for the Life Lesson, I thought I would share with you the outline from Chapter 11 entitled, “Take A Risk-There is No Other Way to Fail Forward.”

To achieve any worthy goal, you must take risks. Decide whether or not the goal is worth the risks involved. If it is, stop worrying. The reality is that everything in life is risky. If you want to avoid all risk, then don’t do any of the following:

• Don’t ride in an automobile—they cause 20 percent of all fatal accidents.
• Don’t travel by air, rail, or water—16 percent of all accidents result from these activities.
• Don’t walk in the street—15 percent of all accidents occur there.
• Don’t stay at home—17 percent of all accidents happen there.”

In life, there are no safe places or risk free activities. Everything in life brings risk. It’s true that you risk failure if you try something bold because you might miss it. But you also risk failure if you stand still and don’t try anything new. The less you venture out, the greater your risk of failure. Ironically the more you risk failure--and actually fail—the greater your chances of success.

When it come to taking risks, I believe there are two kinds of people: those who don’t dare try new things, and those who don’t dare miss them.

Don’t Dare Try It People

1. They resist opportunities.

2. They rationalize their responsibilities

3. They rehearse impossibilities

4. They rain on enthusiasm

5. They review their inadequacies

6. They recoil at the failure of others

7. They reject the personal cost involved lifestyle

8. They replace goals with pleasure

9. They rejoice that they have not failed

10. They rest before they finish

11. They resist leadership

12. They remain unchanged

13. They replay the problems

14. They rethink their commitment

15. They reverse their decision
Motto: I would rather try nothing great and succeed than try something great and risk failure.

Don’t Dare Miss It People

1. They find opportunities.

2. They finish their responsibilities

3. They feed on impossibilities

4. The fan the flame of enthusiasm

5. They face their inadequacies

6. They figure out why others failed

7. They finance the cost into their lifestyle

8. The find pleasure in the goal

9. They fear futility, not failure

10. They finish before they rest

11. They follow leaders

12. They force change

13. They fish for solutions

14. They fulfill their commitments

15. They finalize their decision

Motto: I would rather try something great and fail than try nothing great and succeed.

When it come to taking risks, I believe there are two kinds of people: those who don’t dare try new things, and those who don’t dare miss them.

Traps That Make People Back Away From Risk

If risk has such great potential reward, then why don’t people embrace it as a friend? I believe they don’t because they tend to fall into one or more of the following six traps:

1. The Embarrassment Trap - Deep down, nobody wants to look bad. And if you take a risk and fall flat on your face, you might embarrass yourself. So what? Get over it. The only way to become better is to take steps forward—even shaky ones that cause you to fall down. Little progress is better than no progress at all. Success comes in taking many small steps. If you stumble in a small step, it rarely matters. Don’t gift wrap the garbage. Let little failures go.

2. The Rationalization Trap - People who are caught in the rationalization trap second-guess everything they do, and as they prepare to take action, they say to themselves. “Maybe it’s really not that important.” But the truth is, if you wait long enough, nothing is important. Or as Ed’s Fifth rule of Procrastination states, “Spend sufficient time confirming the need, and the need will disappears.”

3. The Unrealistic Expectation Trap - For some reason, many people think everything in life should be easy, and when they find out that achievement takes effort, they give up. But success takes hard work. Consider this Latin proverb: “If there is no wind, row.” As you prepare to take a risk, don’t expect to get a favorable wind.

4. The Fairness Trap - Life isn’t fair. Many people never learn that fact. Instead of acknowledging it and moving on, they expend their energy trying to find fairness. They say to themselves, “I shouldn’t have to be the one to do this.” Dick Butler expands on this idea: “Life isn’t fair. It isn’t going to be fair. Stop sniveling and shining and go out and make it happen for you.”

5. The Timing Trap - Some people tend to think that there’s a perfect time to do everything—and this isn’t it. So they wait. If you wait for perfect timing, you’ll wait forever. And the more you wait, the more tired you’ll get.

6. The Inspiration Trap - Someone once, said, “You don’t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.” Many people want to wait for inspiration before they are willing to step out and take a risk. When it comes to moving forward, Bill Glass gives this advice: “When you get an insight or inspiration, do something about I in twenty-four hour—or the odds are against your ever acting on it.”

Let me highly recommend Maxwell’s Book, “Failing Forward.” If you aren’t in a position to be able to get one – see me – I will loan you mine … but it is highlighted heavily!