How do you think about risk?

When and where did you learn about risk?

How much about what you know about risk have you just parroted and not actually experienced?

Statistically speaking, the probability of any disastrous event happening to you is very slim. For example, the number of people killed in car accidents in the U.S. averages around 40,000 people a year. And while the fact that anyone dies in a car accident is sad and unfortunate, that number is roughly one percent of the population.

Now I’m not suggesting you take risk lightly or develop a cavalier attitude towards it, what I am saying is that when you do hear about risk and risky situations, consider the source. One reason risk is sensationalized is because it happens so infrequently and disturbs the pace of normal life.

Bad weather events, ax murderers, and or bankruptcies are all categorized as risk and if you continuously worry about all the risky situations you could get into, then you’d never leave your home. And even while you’re in the safety of your home, you’ll worry about all the other low probability events that could happen to you.

It’s been said that ‘no risk, no reward,’ but I don’t believe the rewards for taking risks are equal to the risk taken. And there are different kinds of risk. There’s financial risk, physical risk, relational risk, and you need to learn to weigh different risks for what they are. You also need to evaluate where and from whom you first learned about risk and what their motivations might have been.

Learning to think about and question what and how you think about risk is one of the first steps to creating any change in your life. You must be willing to navigate the risk of failing in any new endeavor before you begin.

So, the next time you’re thinking about doing something that might be life-changing, take a good hard look at why you think it might be risky. Ask yourself whether these are really your concerns or the concerns of others that you’ve adopted into your own life. And keep in mind, that at times, the risk of inaction, is just as great, if not greater, than acting.

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