Tag Archives: Risk

To Dare is to Lose your Foothold for a Moment

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“To dare is to lose your foothold for a moment. To not dare is to lose yourself.”

—Swedish Proverb

Image of a man's foot about to step on a banana peel

Image from Flickr by Perry Hall

In the famous song “My Way,” Frank Sinatra sang the line: “Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention.”

When we look at our own significant achievements or if we look at the accomplishments of others we admire, in virtually all cases risk and the willingness to dare to do things our way was involved.

Unfortunately, those who don’t dare the momentary loss of footing remain on what they perceive as solid ground. They risk loosing themselves, and live lives with far too many regrets.

EXERCISE:

Where and on what issues is it time to throw caution to the wind and dare to live more of the life of your dreams?

Feel free to reply to this post with the actions you plan to take.

 

Wear Out or Rust Out

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“Let us rather run the risk of wearing out than rusting out.”

—Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States

Image of Barry's odometer at 200,014 miles

My car just reached a milestone, passing the 200,000 mile mark!

In some ways I feel pretty happy, given I have never owned a car that lasted so long and was so dependable.

Beyond the great value this car has given me, I fondly recall all the wonderful outings, adventures, vacations, and new places it took me, my family, and others.

I also take pleasure in the fact that it keeps on going, remaining safe and highly useful, as long as I keep it well maintained.

EXERCISE:

How can you maintain yourself in good working condition, to continue your life journey beyond what you might expect?  It sure beats rusting out, parked in a garage, and going nowhere!

Friday Review Risk

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FRIDAY REVIEW: RISK

Are you a risk-taker or a risk-avoider?  Here are a few risk-related posts you may have missed. Click on the link to read the full message.

 

“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

 

 

QC #1105b

 

“The world will never discover a person who is hiding in the crowd.”

 

 

 

QC #1105c

 

“Those who will not take a chance seldom have one thrust upon them.”

 

 

 

 

hiding in the crowd

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“The world will never discover a person who is hiding in the crowd.”

– Dr. Mardy Grothe, psychologist

520Image from Flickr by Si1very.

When my children were young, we would often play a searching game with them called “Where’s Waldo?” The books in this series consisted of detailed double-spread illustrations depicting dozens or hundreds of people doing amusing things at a given location.

Readers were challenged to find Waldo, a slender, glasses-wearing, nerdy character sporting a red and white striped shirt, bobble hat, and blue trousers.

Unfortunately, most people don’t like taking the time to find the “Waldos” of opportunity in their world. They much prefer opportunities to stand out in the world shouting, “Here I am!”

Exercise:

What special efforts can you make or what goal can you accomplish today that will have you stand out from the crowd?

the risk to remain tight

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“And the day came when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

– Anaïs Nin, author

SONY DSCImage from Flickr by Matt Brittaine.

Safety and security are strong values for many people. They represent part of our collective comfort zones that play an important part in who we are. Unfortunately, there is often a very limiting and sometimes painful consequence to this “better safe than sorry” approach to life.

Exercise:

If a flower misses the rain and sunshine by not blooming, what are you potentially missing by not summoning the courage to blossom into your full expression of yourself? What actions will you take today to blossom?

Please reply and let me know what happens.

#110: “Don’t be afraid to go out on a limb. That’s where the fruit is.”

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– Attribution uncertain

Have you ever picked an apple from the trunk of a tree? Me neither! The sweetness of life can only be found when we go out on those proverbial limbs and take a risk.

We must face failure, change, getting hurt, and looking foolish in order to explore our visions and reach beyond our grasp. How else can we experience all that life has to offer?

Exercise:

Where are you playing it too safe, and missing out on the sweet fruits of life?

What are the limbs of life that you can climb out on, to reach what you deeply desire?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#44: “You can only adjust your course after you launch.”

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– Brian Tracy, self-help author and motivational speaker (attributed)

Too many of us want guarantees in life. We want to be sure we win, get the right answer, arrive at the correct destination, even marry the right person. How many of us have failed in our lives, because we did not launch or take the risk of beginning something without any guarantee?

I began writing only a short time ago, not realizing that I could make each thing I wrote better through receiving coaching and counsel and therefore adjusting my course.

Exercise:

Where in your personal or professional life have you been reluctant to launch?

Consider how you might launch now and adjust your course later.

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

 

#26: “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

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– Anonymous

I think I may have heard this quote or similar ones more than just about any others. When we think about the word “adventure,” we can see how many of us desire more of it.

Think about your last vacation to a new destination, or a visit to a new restaurant, or an exotic food that you tried for the first time … even a new person who you met.

“New” is one of the most provocative words of our time. But sadly, most of us only venture out on holidays, weekends, or other special occasions.

Exercise:

What do you have to gain from venturing out on a daily basis? Where will you begin today?

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your details in the sidebar to the right.

#9: “If you don’t go after what you want, you’ll never have it…”

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“…If you don’t ask, the answer is always no. If you don’t step forward, you’re always in the same place.”

– Nora Roberts

It seems to me that all life involves some form of risk. The risk of failure and the risk of rejection stop all of us from time to time.

Many people find that the regret of inaction is far more destructive to a full life than almost any failure. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

What goal, what relationship, what adventure is worth the risk for you?

Exercise:

What are your FEARs? Perhaps they’re only False Evidence Appearing Real.

Quotes are posted on The Quotable Coach a week after being sent out by email. To get the latest quotes straight to your inbox, pop your email address in the sidebar to the right.

“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high…”

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“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short, but in setting our aim too low and achieving our mark.”

– Michelangelo

Image from Unsplash by AJ Yorio

I guess spending five years painting the ceiling of the Sistine chapel is an example of reaching consistently for new heights. In fact, most of Michelangelo’s works are examples of extraordinary achievements.

  • What have been your proudest moments in life?
  • Where have you dared to achieve greatness, or a higher purpose?
  • How did stretching or reaching for these seemingly out of reach goals help you grow?

Even if we fail on attempt after attempt, we can try again.

Exercise

Where in your professional or personal life are you playing too small and too safe?

What goals in your life are worth greater risk, even the risk of failure?