August 23, 2024: Life is Risky
"Failure is success in progress."
– Albert Einstein
Taking risks is, well, risky. Does that mean then that not taking risks is not risky? What is risk anyway? Isn't it doing something or trying something whose outcome is uncertain? That sounds like a typical day in the life of of someone who has made personal growth, one of their goals. Speaking to a stranger as you pass them on the sidewalk seems to qualify as well, since you don't know whether they will return your greeting. Starting your car in the morning as you head out for work, looks like it qualifies too, since the car may or may not start. Making an initial sales call on a total stranger, also looks like it qualifies; the outcome is certainly unknown at the time of the call. If we think about it, each of the above scenarios involves a risk even if we don't do them; not starting the car that takes us to work, not meeting a new person who could make a difference in our lives, or not making the sales call that could help us feed our family. So, it looks as though life is, in many ways, inherently risky. This, inevitably leads to the conclusion that risk is pretty much unavoidable if we are to live productive, fulfilling lives. Risk then, seems to be a sword with two edges; meaning that each day we have to decide if we are going to wield the sword of risk and build the lives we want, or are we going to accept the inevitable backlash of the risks we try to avoid? Whichever choice we make, life's risks are unavoidable so we might as well face them head on.
© 2024 Detroit Flanagan
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