Acting Without Fear
– Taking Risks Is The Only Way To Become Your Best Self and Live Your Best Life –
Have you ever been in a situation where you found yourself too paralyzed to make the choice you knew would make you happier? Well, science has shown that we as humans often let fear, or the basic flight or fight response, hold us back from making what we deem is a risky decision. But if we take these risks instead of letting them prevent us from doing something, we are much more likely to achieve our goal when this risk is involved.
This doesn’t mean we should start jumping off cliffs or chasing bears, but there are ways to take calculated risks which can help you live your best life.
1. Set Parameters and Establish Boundaries
While some risk is good to help push you that extra mile to achieve your goal, too much risk can actually be bad. Before taking a risk, which could negatively impact your life, make sure you set boundaries for yourself in order to limit over risk-taking which could cause you undue stress. For example, if you are leaving your job to start working your own business, set a limit for how low your savings account can get.
Then have a contingency plan if your savings do eventually approach your specified threshold. This contingency plan could be as simple as mortgaging your house or car or even just getting a part-time job on the weekends. Either way, having this established boundary will keep you from undue stress as to how you are going to pay the bills or have money to eat.
2. Ensure the Conditions Are Right
This one may sound a little funny but think of it as in the terms where perhaps you want to do something risky such as skydiving. While skydiving is inherently risky, you wouldn’t engage in it if the instructor told you it was too windy for it to be safe. Basically, before you take a big risk, make sure your bases are covered. If you are leaving your desk job to pursue your dream, make sure you have some money saved up to get you started.
Or if you’re moving to a new location that you have some leads on a job before you get there. Making sure the conditions are right before taking a large risk will help you feel more secure in your risk and less likely to back out before, or during, the completion of your goal.
It should be noted, however, that while it’s important to make sure the conditions are right, they don’t have to be perfect, because likely “perfect” conditions will never exist.
3. Make a Decision and Take Action
Life without any risk is boring, a repeat of the same exact events day in and day out. So, if you’ve made it this far and you’ve established boundaries and made sure the conditions are right for your risk, then all that’s left to do is take it! And when you do take the leap of faith, you will be able to do so without fear because you know you will not fail (is there really such a thing anyway?).
Friends and family may think that you are crazy, but again, if you’ve followed the process it is unlikely you will come up short and if you do, you’ll know exactly how to react. Besides just leading you on the path to happiness, taking a risk to fulfil your dreams will likely lead to you living a more satisfying life overall.
And what have you got to lose?
Until next time, many blessings and much peace!
