July 12 – From Stagnation to Success: The Importance of Risk Taking

“In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” Coco Chanel

Avoiding risks can lead to significant stagnation and regret, both personally and professionally. I've experienced this firsthand. Early in my career, I played it safe, following all of the rules and educational philosophies of the time. The fear of not meeting the educational criteria expected by the school and parents held me back. As Allison Shrager explains in An Economist Walks into a Brothel, people often associate risk with worst-case scenarios, such as losing their job or wealth. My fear was rooted in past experiences and cautionary tales I had heard from others.

By not taking risks, I missed out on opportunities for growth and advancement. I remember following directions to a T because being creative and thinking outside of the box seemed too risky, fearing failure more than I anticipated the potential success. This cautious approach led to a professional plateau, and I watched colleagues grow creatively and professionally, happy in their careers, while I remained stagnant. Reflecting on this, I realized that fitting in and avoiding risks, as John O'Leary notes in his book In Awe, can stifle creativity and innovation.

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.” Albert Einstein

Missed opportunities are a direct consequence of risk aversion. Someone might ask you to get involved in a new opportunity. You might fear the instability of a new venture. As Shrager points out, taking a risk on the unknown without a clear reward can seem daunting and misguided. Your decision might be on the uncertainty and potential for failure, not the possibility of success.

“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein

Having a cautious approach might cost you a significant opportunity. If the startup thrives, those who joined early could reap substantial rewards, both financially and in terms of experience. As Bill Burnett and Dave Evans suggest in Designing Your Life, even when things don’t work out as planned, they provide valuable insights and new starting points. If you embrace the risk, you could gain invaluable experience and potentially enjoy substantial professional growth.

Avoiding risks doesn’t just affect opportunities and growth; it also has profound psychological and emotional consequences. Consistently choosing the safe route can lead to increased anxiety and fear. You could become overly cautious, worrying about potential losses rather than considering possible gains. Catherine Price, in How To Break Up With Your Phone, discusses how our devices can exacerbate anxiety by constantly reminding us of what we might miss out on. This phenomenon, known as FOMO (fear of missing out), is not limited to smartphones but extends to life decisions as well.

“Whenever you check for a new post on Instagram or whenever you go to the New York Times to see if there’s a new thing, it’s not even about the content. It’s just about seeing a new thing. You get addicted to that feeling.” Aziz Ansari

Elissa Epel, in The Stress Prescription, highlights how facing the unknown can trigger a stress response. This was certainly true for me. Avoiding risks kept me in a constant state of low-grade anxiety, always second-guessing my choices and wondering about missed opportunities. Over time, this took a toll on my overall well-being and fulfillment.

To mitigate this, I learned to zoom into the future and consider the long-term impact of my decisions. As Epel suggests, asking how much a decision will matter in a week, a month, or a decade helped me put risks into perspective and reduced my immediate anxiety. By reframing my approach to risk and understanding its broader implications, I started making more informed and courageous decisions.

Avoiding risks can lead to stagnation, missed opportunities, and significant psychological and emotional consequences. My journey has taught me the importance of balancing caution with boldness, understanding that some risks are essential for growth and fulfillment. By learning from past experiences and rethinking my approach to risk, I have been able to embrace challenges more confidently and create a more dynamic and satisfying life.

Activity –

Mentor Someone: Share your knowledge and experience while learning from others’ perspectives.

In today's increasingly digital world, it's easy to lose sight of what makes us human. The constant bombardment of screens and social media can distract us from cultivating essential qualities like kindness, empathy, and resilience.

My book, Nurturing Hopeful Resilience,  guides parents and caregivers through the challenges of raising children in a technology-driven age. It explores the importance of instilling strong values in children from a young age to help them develop into compassionate, responsible, and fulfilled individuals.

Through a series of practical exercises and insightful reflections, this book delves into fourteen core values: curiosity, awareness, kindness, learning, self-awareness, fairness, playfulness, compassion, service, belonging, trustworthiness, authenticity, community, and responsibility. Understanding and nurturing these values can empower our children to thrive in a complex and ever-changing world.

This book offers a roadmap for raising children who are academically successful, emotionally intelligent, socially adept, and morally grounded. It encourages readers to prioritize human connection, empathy, and compassion over material possessions and fleeting digital distractions. By embracing the power of values, we can create a brighter future for ourselves and generations to come.