My Riffs

Staying in your safe place comes with risk. Risk of not discovering. You have to venture out in order to discover. You won't know there's better unless you venture out and discover. Is it risky? Yeah but it's just as risky to stay put.

What's really at stake is if we don't act. The biggest risk isn't in what we actually do, it's in what we don't do. The risk of missing what was ours. Or missing what should have been done. Those are the real large risks we can't afford to take.

Everything is a risk. Stepping out is a risk. Playing it safe is a risk. Marriage, kids and family is a risk. Relationships are a risk. But not doing any of that is too. So if everything is a risk, be careful in all things. Weigh the risks.

There is always opposition, unless you literally aren't doing anything. So opposition is no reason to stop doing something. It's a clear sign you're actually doing something. And sometimes (not always) the more opposition you come against, the greater the task you are undertaking. Sometimes the great opposition can be a sign you're doing something stupid. So make sure you know the difference.

My youngest daughter is 3 years old. She's learned how to get things she wants. I've seen her move chairs to get things she can't reach. I've seen her open the fridge and climb it to get things on top. When do we unlearn that skill? My three year old knows how to go for what she wants. But at some age we seem afraid to climb and get what we want. We are scared of falling, or we're scared of those who are watching. But not my three year old. She doesn't care whose watching or the risk of falling. And she usually gets what she wants. Maybe we need to learn to start climbing and not being afraid again.

The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Or failure. You cannot have a big reward without a big risk. The risk means you also may fail. A small risk can have a small reward or a small failure. But a small risk cannot have a large reward. The size of the outcome is determined at the beginning, not the end.

(I am borrowing this thought from Seth Godin) Are you a day trader or investor? Day traders want in and out quickly. They want to make a quick profit and divest. Some get good at this and make a living of it. Investors are in for the long term. They don't worry if the investment dips. Investors ride the waves and cash out when the investment is fully mature. Day traders don't really add the value investors do.

Is safety defined by legislation, boards and governments? Or is it defined by real world tests and experiences? What is safety mean to each individual person? Safety is challenging to define and legislate. Because you're told something is safe, doesn't mean it is. Because you're told something is dangerous, doesn't mean it is. People have had bad accidents with things deemed safe. Some people make a career out of doing the dangerous. Nothing is truly safe. Understand safety for yourself to the best of your ability and don't just accept what is heralded as safe.

I read something yesterday that hadn't occurred to me before. In short it said if you're journeying toward something, that means you're journeying away from something. In essence if your heading somewhere new, you have to leave something behind. It is important to note what may be left behind when you're heading somewhere new. Heading somewhere new is cool and exciting, just make sure you know what will be left behind.

No rewards come without risk. It's an impossibility. This should change the way we look at risks. Being foolish shouldn't be confused with taking risks. They're completely different things. Taking a risk is what must be done to get the desired reward. Risks sometimes aren't popular. Risks are usually scary. But to get reward risk has to be taken.