Risk:
Is the juice really worth the squeeze?
Risk. We hear this term everyday and probably experience this more than once in a 24 hour time period, but what exactly is risk? After some extensive research, I think I was able to find an answer:
- Risk noun \ˈrisk\ : the possibility that something bad or unpleasant (such as an injury or loss) will happen.
I think this is the common misconception people associate with the term risk and prevents them from trying something new. A majority of our society believes that even if you take one step outside your comfort zone, or make a slight change to your daily routine, the very world is going to come crashing down. I’m not sure where this social stigma origniated but I belive that a lot of people get too caught up in the hustle and bustle of trying to do the right thing (corporate job, get married, have kids, white picket fence, THE WORKS!). Anything that deviates from this preconceived notion of life immediately throws someone into a world of turmoil due to the fact they associate risk with the worst possible outcome.
For me, I consider myself a very risk-seeking type of person. Weigh a few pros- and cons- out before completely committing to something, because remember- you always must take responsibility for your actions. Currently, my risk-taking abilities have skyrocketed. For those of you that don’t know I recently left my job at The Shipyard, LLC in attempts to find true happiness whether that be inside a corporate environment or not. The big factor here: I had nothing to fall back on (other than that piece of paper saying I graduated college or something?). For most people this may seem like utter stupidity, but how did I view it? Yes very risky but also a way to open the door for many opportunities.
Don’t just view things as being overly risky because of the worst possible outcome. Ask yourself “Is the juice really worth the squeeze?” (a favorite line of mine from a great movie The Girl Next Door ) and will taking this risky step help move your life in the direction you desire. For me, leaving my corporate job led me to become a better person and focus on genuine happiness — thus taking my focus off the greed and gluttony commonly associated with gaining wealth.
I guess what I’ve been trying to get at is don’t be afraid to take that calculated risk or educated guess in life whether it be with finding the next girl you’re going to date, jumping out of a plane, or beginning your next entrepreneurial venture — risk is ever-present. I’ve done all of these things and even tried that insane invert in the above picture, and guess what? I’m still alive!! Risk shouldn’t hold you back from pursuing anything you want in life.
On a final note, as Mark Zuckerberg said, “The biggest risk is not taking any risk…In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.” Observe the fact that risk will be there but work with it, embrace it, and everything will fall into place from there.
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Thanks for reading and I’d love to hear any feedback you may have! Feel free to shoot me a message with your thoughts and ideas over at www.andrewkitzmiller.com! Thanks!
