Calculated Risks: The Power To Change Your Life

Let’s face it – life is risky. Every action holds the potential for success or failure. While many people are scared of taking any kind of risk that moves them out of their comfort zone, the truth is that doing nothing, and settling for less than you deserve, is the riskiest choice of all. By taking calculated risks, you can change the course of your life, and create the type of success most only dream about.

A calculated risk, by definition, is one that has been given careful thought. It’s one where the potential risks and rewards have been weighed and examined – and where the potential upside far outweighs the potential downside. In short, it means a risk worth taking.

Now many people, when they hear the word risk, just shut down. Any risk is considered too dangerous and scary. We’ve been conditioned our whole lives to stay in our comfort zone, to follow everyone else’s lead. That route may give you a false sense of security but it will never lead to true success. As a firefighter and a life coach, I've learned one universal truth - if you follow what everyone else is doing, you're bound for failure. To really grow, you must experience challenges. To find success, you must take risks.

Of course, I’m not talking about blindly throwing caution to the wind. I’m talking about educated, well thought out risks. The kind that will strengthen your resolve, build character, and open up a world of possibilities for you.

For instance, when I became interested in real estate investing, I learned a great deal about the subject. But even with all that knowledge, I was scared to take the next step. I was afraid of "losing my shirt" on the first deal. Then I realized all I had to do was follow a mentor and have someone coach me through my first transaction - in other words, take a calculated risk - and I ended up making $10,000 on that deal!

Taking risks doesn’t just bring financial rewards. It makes you grow as a person, and see what you are truly capable of. It also stops you from living a life of regrets. Sydney Smith, an English clergy once said, “Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.”

Unless you push your boundaries, unless you take action and stop being satisfied with the status quo, you’ll never light that spark inside of you - you’ll never know how bright it could have burned. Most people are afraid to be responsible for their own lives. Yet it’s only when we make that choice, and make that power our own, that we can experience true success and fulfillment.

The more calculated risks you take in your life, the more chances you’ll have to evolve as a person. You’ll also experience less fear at the thought of the unknown, and you’ll start to see problems as simply fresh opportunities for growth. While the financial rewards you’ll gain will be immense, it’s really the self-discovery that makes calculated risk taking so powerful.