If you want to be successful at anything, you must be prepared to take the risk.
Understand that taking risks is not a bad thing, but a good thing. In order to extend yourself you need to take risks.
Do this so long as you realise the nature of the risk you are taking.
Consider anyone who you regard as ‘successful’. What was it about them that made them successful?
Is there anyone in the field you are in, or in the field you want to be in, whom you regard as successful? What risks did they take?
Take The Risk: Jump in The Deep End
I recall an incident from my childhood. We were on a camping trip through Europe and had stopped at a wonderful camping park in Spain called ‘Camping Cypsela’.
It had some fabulous amenities that we hadn’t seen so far in our travels, including an Olympic sized swimming pool.
Spain was a welcome weather change from the coldness of the UK, and was more in keeping with what we had known in Australia.
So all of us kids rushed to the swimming pool with gusto and frolicked there.
Camping Cypsela as it is today
However there was one strange thing about the pool that I noticed, and that was the diving tower.
No one was using it!
Why?
Probably because it was quite a tall one - in Australia we would say it was at the First Floor or Level 1. In the US it might be regarded as the 2nd floor. Anyway it was quite tall!
After a few minutes of contemplation, I decided to take the risk and dive from it. I had never done it before and the fear level was very high!
But finally I plucked up the courage to climb the steps. As I moved upwards I noticed the fear level rising with each step.
I got to the top and after some giddiness foolishly looked down (should’na done that!).
After more hesitation I took the plunge - not a fancy high dive but more like a bomb dive!
I arrived at the bottom of the pool and swam up quickly to the surface… I had survived!
Immediately those around me congratulated me and naturally I was over the moon. However what happened next was astounding - everyone else started using the diving tower!
The moral of the story is two-fold.
Firstly I overcame my fears and discovered something within me that I could do that I hadn’t done before.
Secondly my efforts encouraged others to take the same risk and overcome their own fears.
Additionally, no harm happened when taking the risk.
Take The Risk: Overcome Your Fears
If you desire to do new things, you must take some risks. You also need to assess these risks for the benefits they may bring.
If the risk is high but the reward zero or minimal, it may not be worth the risk. On the other hand if the risk is high but the rewards are higher, then it is worth taking the risk.
So many people do not take risks because they think the risk is higher than it may actually be. They see dangers that may not actually exist.
They may have a fear of failure, or even more worryingly, a fear of success! Whatever the fear, it stops you from achieving your goals.
It’s important to create goals that stretch you. Not only will the rewards be higher, but you will become a bigger and better person for having achieved it.
You will have to face the fact that fear will be a factor that you need to overcome if you are to be successful.
Take The Risk: Dream Big And Dare To Fail
Another way of thinking about achieving your goals is to think of them as being impossible to fail.
All that any successful people did was to adopt the saying: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again!
More importantly, they view themselves as successful - even if they are living on park benches at the time!
Focus on your strengths, not your weaknesses. Think of what you have achieved not what you have failed to achieve.
When you wake in the morning, think of what you can achieve and the things you want to do - that day or in the future.
But do not think of the things you don’t want to do. Adopt the attitude that you are a winner and can achieve it: the risks are worth it.
“The common denominator of success - the secret of success of every man who has ever been successful - lies in the fact that he formed the habit of doing things that failures don’t like to do.”
- Albert E.N. Gray
