By | Larae Quy | laraequy.com
One of the first things I learned as a new FBI agent was that risk would always be part of my job. Not every day, and not in every investigation, but there would always be some element of risk if I wanted to move toward success.
This applies to all areas of life because the risk of complacency may be more painful than the risk of taking a chance on something new, challenging, and full of promise. Taking smart risks requires courage that can’t be borrowed or imitated; it comes from the core of who we are in the present moment, and perhaps more importantly, who we want to be in the future.
The absence of fear, when confronted with the unknown, is not courage; it’s more like stupidity or impaired judgment. Fear is a healthy reaction to situations where we don’t know how things will shake out in the end.
Taking a risk means exposing ourselves to the possibility of loss in the hope we will gain a reward. The rewards vary widely from person to person. Back in the day it might have meant surviving predators in the wild; today, it might mean surviving predators in the office.
We risk looking stupid or incompetent if we take on a project that fails or volunteer for assignments that stretch our current capabilities. But the other option is even worse—staying in a comfort zone where we’re too afraid to act with boldness or confidence.
