In pursuit of improving my confidence, one of the most transformative approaches was to take daily risks. These risks, though not always grand or earth-shattering, brought about profound changes in my life. Embracing daily risks opened doors to new experiences, massively expanded my comfort zone, and has been empowering me to reach my fullest potential — all of which lead to boosting my confidence. In this post, I’ll explain how I took daily risks for my personal growth and discovered potential in me that I never knew existed.
This is part of the Daily Challenge Series. See the Daily Promise Challenge for how I boosted my self-worth.
How Did The Daily Risk Challenge Come About?
I was post-divorce, and working with a personal coach. Things were progressing well, but I felt I was hitting a plateau with improving my confidence. I started realizing I was playing life too small — safe, measured, and everything held close to the vest while making myself fit into others’ lives. But, how can I start playing big? That’s where I came up with the idea of pushing myself to take bigger and bigger risks to see what I was capable of doing, what growth edges I could push on, and how that all would change my life.
“Growth edges exist everywhere — at work, at home, in our systems, on our teams. They are those places that have fear on one side and change on the other. The edge is the place in the middle. Sometimes it can feel like going through the eye of a needle. Other times it can feel like jumping off a cliff. It’s the gatekeeper to moving from the known to the unknown.” Source.
After I told my best friend, Linda, that I had just asked someone out while walking around my neighborhood, I got this text of support:
“Nothing better than a direct, confident man.”
This was the first woman I had asked out since my divorce, I was super nervous, and got turned down, so I didn’t feel very confident. But a text like that from my bestie pushed me to explore ways to boost my confidence. In came the Daily Risk Challenge.
Understanding the Differences Between Confidence and Arrogance →
What Kinds of Things Did I Gain From Doing Daily Risks?
I lost count, to be honest. 😎 But, here are some of the stand-out improvements I gained from doing the Daily Risk Challenge in the first three months:
- I was able to start asking strangers out on dates. I had a very hard time asking women out because I lacked the confidence. But, after one month, I was starting to feel confident enough to ask women out on dates as I met them on the sidewalk, in a store, or at the park.
- The boost in confidence also helped me start a business. It all seemed so daunting that it sat on the back burner for years. After 3 months, I was able to start designing the plan, and now have a viable side-business up and running.
- I became a better manager to my team. We had a number of gnarly and large challenges (technical and personnel) that I had been pushing off. After the first month, I found myself moving toward some of these challenges more readily, and taking them on with a level of confidence I had not felt before.
- I now find myself running toward fires. In the past, I would avoid conflict, arguments, or big challenges. I now feel I have the resilience and confidence to run toward them, and work through them in a healthy way.
How to Do the Daily Risk Challenge
All you need is a pen and paper (or journal. Or text a friend. More on that below.) You are going to write down the risk you are going to take for the day, and place it in a spot where you can see it, then come back to it before bed. I used one piece of paper and just kept adding to the list so that I could see them all together at the end of the month.
- In the morning, you are going to come up with a risk to take that day, then write it down. Write it in pen, because you are owning this and not changing it! In the beginning, start with quantifiable challenges. Saying “I will cook the best saffron rice” is subjective.
🔵 My first daily risk was to cook saffron rice. I had never done it before, it seemed like it might be difficult, and saffron felt expensive and delicate to work with. - The rest of the day is to attempt the risk. You can do it within the hour, or later on, but, you need to complete it before you fall asleep that night.
🔵 I Googled a saffron rice recipe, got the ingredients, and made it as a side for dinner that evening. - Reflect on your accomplishment — this is the most important step! It’s one thing to come up with a risk, another to do it. But, without taking a moment or three to sit down and recognize that you 1) did what you said you would do, and 2) attempted it, it’s all for naught. Without reflection, it’s basically a to-do list, and the personal growth is minimal.
🔵 I would revisit my risk for the day, and put a check next to the line item signifying I attempted it, and reflect on how it made me feel (more on that below.) - Now, repeat steps 1–3 daily for, at least, 30 days straight. Every single day. Again, the risks can be small and approachable. It’s the repetition and reflection that will have you improving.
🔵 I did this for 3 months, and still find myself doing it two years later (even though I rarely feel the need to write them down now, I probably still should.)
What Are We Getting from Doing Daily Risks?
In step 1, you are exploring your edges and self-limiting beliefs
You are going to be rooting around for things that may be fearful, scary, difficult, have random outcomes, possible regressions, and more. I found some mornings especially difficult to come up with something risky, but when I did, I felt proud and discovered more about my growth edges each time.
Tips for coming up with a daily risk:
- Start small and approachable, working your way up over time.
- Start with things that you know you can attempt, but have the potential to go sideways due to lack of skill or unforeseen, uncontrollable factors.
In step 2, you are actively moving out of your comfort zone
Be mindful of what you are doing, but know that this is about attempting the risk, and not about the outcome. We often avoid performing risk for fear of the outcome — we don’t ask for a raise at work because they might say no. Right now, we are working on practicing taking the risk; not doing something well or perfectly or even avoiding disaster.
In step 3, you are reflecting on your growth
If you performed it well or poorly, that is not the most important thing right now (can be later in the challenge). Again, we are working on exercising our ability to come up with and take risks. Think about things like “how risky was that?”, “what would I be afraid of if it went well / poorly?”, “will it be easier when I do it again?” This can be a great journaling exercise (see below).
The first night I reflected on my risk of making saffron rice, I felt a shift inside, and my growth edges expanding:
- I can now cook one more thing.
- I can work with expensive ingredients.
- I have become more interesting.
- I can apply this to other adjacent tasks in my daily life.
- And more!
All of this has led to more confidence, one risk at a time.
The Journaling / Texting Variant
While I got value out of this as a running list of risks because I liked to see them stack up and get checked off, I can see a lot of value in journaling, and even texting with a friend or accountability partner.
The Daily Risk Journal
For this, take a page and write your risk at the top. “Today, I will cook saffron rice.” After you complete it, journal about your experience. Be sure to cover all three steps so that you can explore how and why you chose that risk, how it made you feel while attempting it, and what movement you experienced in your growth edges.
If you weren’t able to perform the risk, journal about why and how that happened. I feel there is still value in that.
Looking for a great journal and pen combination? I highly recommend the PAPERAGE Blank Journal Notebook and Pigma Micron Pen (05) in Black, pictured here. The paper feels luxurious, and the pen doesn’t drag too much making it a pleasant tactile experience.
The Daily Risk Text
For this, find a friend or accountability partner where you both set a time to text each other your daily risk. A one liner should suffice: “Today, I will cook saffron rice.”
Before you go to bed, you can send each other a follow up such as a green checkmark emoji ✅, or perhaps a few lines on how you felt about attempting the risk. Hold each other accountable by noticing if the other did not check in, and ask “how can I support you in completing your risk?” You are not looking to do it for them, but see if there is some emotional support you can give.
In Summary
Taking daily risks for personal growth is a powerful way to transform your life and tap into your true potential. Bring on the adventure of stepping outside your comfort zone to improve your confidence, and face each day with courage and curiosity. Through risk-taking, you’ll uncover hidden strengths, develop resilience, and knock down self-limiting beliefs. Embrace the journey of personal growth, one daily risk at a time, and I assure you that your life will change, your edges will expand, and you will discover aspects about yourself you never knew existed.
Continue Reading
How the Daily Promise Challenge Can Improve Your Self-Worth →
Embrace the Adventure: Why You Should Take Risks to Unlock Your Full Potential →
