Last Updated on September 2, 2024
Are you comfortable in your life right now?
If you are, you could probably do yourself a huge favor by stepping out of that comfort zone. Start making changes in your life. Why not? F%*& it!
As far as you and I know, we are only blessed with one life. Too many of us choose to sit around and waste it by not exploring the different options we have available to us.
When I noticed that I was living comfortably, I decided to take action and make a change.
“There are risks and costs to action. But they are far less than the long range risks of comfortable inaction.” – John F. Kennedy
The only way to get out of your comfort zone is to take a risk. You don’t have to do anything dramatic, take baby steps at first. Here are a few encouraging reasons why you should take more risks.
Opportunity
When you choose to start taking some risks, you will notice that there are so many opportunities you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise. If you choose to take the risk of leaving your job without a new one, you might find an opportunity to work from home, or find the job of a lifetime.
Doing something that you’re unfamiliar with can actually lead you to more success. You will have a chance to learn something new and grow as a person. When you look back on life you’ll connect the dots and be thankful for your past actions.
Confidence
Risk taking is just that, risky. When you take a risk, and it turns out that everything is okay, you will build your confidence more than you ever have before. The more confident you are, the more you will be respected by your peers.
This will help you to stand out among people who are not taking risks. People will see more value in what you do, and be amazed with the risk/risks you’ve taken and how it has led to your success.
Learning
If we make a risky move, whether it turns out to be the right one or the wrong one doesn’t really matter. What does matter is that you’re going to learn something. When I took the risk of starting my own business, I was able to learn new skills which helped me grow as a person.
I’ve learned tons of valuable life lessons in the past 4 years and much of that is because I decided to go on the less traveled route. Life is a learning experience, but you won’t learn if you never try anything new. Albert Einstein has a great point:
“Insanity = Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results.”
Success isn’t Easy
This is probably why taking risks is so important, the fact that you can’t make it by being lazy and, well, normal. You need to take risks to show off and test your skills. If you don’t, you’re going to blend in with the billions of others who are choosing to live life without taking risks.
Taking a risk doesn’t mean that you have to drop everything and start with nothing to possibly create the next big thing. You don’t need to be uneducated about your decisions to make risks. You can spend some time calculating what exactly it is that you’re willing to risk, and seek advice prior to making life-changing decisions.
Sometimes taking a risk means that you’re willing to jump on an opportunity. I’m currently kicking myself for not jumping on the Bitcoin bandwagon. Bitcoins used to be worthless, but now they’re much more valuable. Back in 2009 I didn’t want to take the risk of wasting my time and money on acquiring them, and for that I am a fool.
Change
Change is scary, and many people don’t like it. If you look back on your life, every single good thing that has happened was because of change.
Let’s say you had a terrible divorce. The man or woman whom you’ve loved with all your essence, crushed your heart. It’s a terrible and sad thing. But, a few months down the line you’ve meet somebody special who is now the love of your life. In retrospect, that dreadful situation turned into something incredible.
It’s completely up to you to distinguish the positives from every decision you make. Remember that you create your own happiness. Focusing on the negatives will make you more miserable. So don’t do it.
No Regrets
Looking back at any period of time in your life, you can see that there were times you SHOULD have done something.
Playing the “What if?” game will get you nowhere.
“What if I made the football team in high school, got a scholarship to play at my favorite college, and then got drafted into the NFL?”
You can do this with almost every scenario. Playing mind games with yourself will make you more depressed. The goal is to avoid looking back at what you should have done, and focus on what risks you can still take today.
- Do you want to travel the world? Great, start planning on how you can accomplish that goal.
- Do you want to become a painter? Great, start reading books, take painting courses, and teach yourself.
- Do you want to go skydiving, bungee jumping, and scuba diving? Great, start making you bucket list and work towards accomplishing it.
- Do you want to learn a new language? Great, put aside 20-40 minutes a day and start teaching yourself.
Check out this great article: Top five regrets of the dying.
Make sure you don’t have any regrets right before you die. Start doing the things you wish to achieve now, rather than setting them aside for later. I find it so funny that people always push everything forward. “We will travel the world once we retire.” Sure you will…
How about you start working toward accomplishing that goal, dream, or desire today. How can you do it? By taking a risk.
Growth
If you’re not willing to take risks in either your life, or in business, you or your business will not grow. Growing as a person is essential in life.
- What’s the point of living if you’re just going to do the same thing every single day?
- What’s the point of living if you have no desire to discover yourself?
- What’s the point of living if you don’t want to learn anything new?
We’re all trying to find a meaning to life, but it’s utterly a pointless pursuit if you view it with such a dull perspective. Take risks and make mistakes. I’ve made tons of mistakes in my life, but I’m not embarrassed by them. I’m glad I made them. I’m glad that I learned from them and was able to grow.
Conclusion
I hope this article has given you some motivation to live a more fulfilling life. I hope you’ll change up your daily or weekly routine to tackle a new challenge.
Keep in mind that life is not fair, and in hindsight that’s actually a good thing. If life was easy where would all the adventures be? Where would the excitement of risk be?
