“Life is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” – Denis Waitley
So long as we keep growing;
So long as we keep journeying;
So long as we keep making choices;
We, undoubtedly, are bound to meet stumbling blocks;
We are bound, at some point, to come to a standstill.
It is the fear of this age-old truth that cripples most people to keep to themselves what would otherwise bless the world – the fear of risks. It is wisdom to count the cost; it is wisdom to access the risks involved in every project; it is wisdom to know our strengths and weaknesses. However, knowledge of these realities should not deter us, but rather propel us to be proactive; knowledge of these realities should propel us to reach our goals.
No risk, pay the cost; Know risk, reap the rewards – Dr. Ben Carson
Consider Frederick Wallace Smith, CEO of FedEx, who founded the company Federal Express (FedEx) with his $4 million inheritance and raised an additional $91 million in venture capital, such that it could potentially deliver packages overnight to anywhere in the world. This, at that time, was something that had never been done.
Unfortunately, three years after the company began, because of the rapidly increasing fuel price, FedEx was on the verge of bankruptcy, losing over $1million a month, with no one willing to give them any additional loans nor any investors interested in contributing capital. Frederick W. Smith reached a point where the company’s account had only $5,000 and he couldn’t afford to refuel the planes that delivered FedEx’s shipments.
Still, Smith refused to surrender. He took the last $5,000 and flew to Las Vegas, placed the company’s remaining money on Black Jack bets over the weekend and won an additional $27,000 by Monday.
After a few days, Smith successfully managed to raise $11million to keep the company afloat and, by 1976, Federal Express made its first profit of $3.6 million.
If Frederick Wallace Smith had given up; if Frederick Wallace Smith didn’t take the risk of gambling, there would be no FedEx now.
John F. Kennedy says “There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.”
I personally took great risk during my second year in college – contesting for the position of General Secretary of my department. This was a portfolio which had been held by ladies since the inception of the Association, and here I was as a gentleman, after 24 years, taking the sky-high risk of changing the status quo.
Dr. Ben Carson, the world-renowned neurosurgeon who takes sky-high risks of separating conjoined twins at the Johns Hopkins Children’s Center, explains in his book “Take the Risk”:
“You don’t go into a field that requires cracking people’s heads open or operating on something as delicate as the spinal cord unless you are comfortable with taking risks.”
In His Book, Dr. Carson packs the pages with gripping tales about some of the most complicated cases he’s worked on – including trying to separate the 29-year-old Iranian twins Ladan and Laleh Bijani.
“In our risk-avoidance culture, we place a high demand on safety. But by insulating ourselves from the unknown-the risks of life-we miss the great adventure of living our lives to the full potential. Even if our choices are not so dramatic or the outcome so heartbreaking, what does it mean if we back away instead of move forward? Have we so muffled our hearts and minds that we fail to reach for all that life can offer us – and all that we can offer life?”
Dr. Carson calls his method of risk analysis “Best/Worst Analysis,” in which he analyzes four questions:
- What is the BEST thing that can happen if I DO this?
- What is the WORST thing that can happen if I DO this?
- What is the BEST thing that can happen if I DON’T do it?
- What is the WORST thing that can happen if I DON’T do it?
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.” — T.S. Eliot
Before you go…
I personally find great wisdom in the Chinese Proverb that says “Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it.” There is never going to be a perfect time to start that project; there is never going to be a perfect time to start writing that book; there is never going to be a perfect time to sow that seed; there is never going to be a perfect time to take that action. You never realize how easy things could get until you actually start working!
He who risks and fails is better than he who decides to do nothing. Take that risk!
The Reality Hub 