Hope your summer was a refreshing and productive as mine. It’s nice to be back. I was thinking about this particular subject, risk or change, all summer and wanted to share it with you to perhaps change your thinking about these two words, their emotional meaning and personal consequences.
How often, when talking with friends, teachers, coaches or colleagues, do we use words like, “You really need to risk it all” or “Take a chance, just jump in and try it.” Do either of these two words, risk or chance, resonate more strongly with you? Were you encouraged to do both or either once you returned home from your summer program; to initiate your new skills, tools, techniques, and goals? Is there a difference?
While I don’t agree with the standard political definition of these two words, I do think that there’s validity to the basic idea that they are very different from one another.
Here’s how I see the difference:
Taking a risk involves using your time, energy and resources to ferret out all the ups and downs of investing in whatever project or goal you have in mind. It’s looking at all the possible pitfalls, bumps in the road, plus the rewards, and benefits you might achieve. You look at what you imagine to be the beginning, the middle and the end knowing approximately how long it will take you to accomplish this project or goal and whether or not it is attainable for you at this time. You put it into the context of what you know you can do within a certain time frame because you have tackled other projects or goals of similar scope. You have confidence because you know you will succeed and don’t really care whether others believe in your ideas or not. Risk takers generally make the first thing on their “to do” list the one thing they dislike the most, getting it off their plate as soon as possible so they can move on. Risk takers usually focus on their own behavior and how it impacts the behavior of others and aren’t afraid to make change happen. Those that like to risk, work on essential skills and techniques until they’ve completely mastered them. Risk takers are deeply appreciative of the help they’ve gotten and never take it for granted. Giving back is a trait those that take risks employ because it is the right thing to do. And they realize that they’re successful in part because they have had lots of amazing help from others along the way.
However, taking a chance to me means you are not willing to recognize or do the background work required to know whether this project or goal is even achievable for you. Someone else usually suggests it, not knowing the strength of your work ethics or ability to commit and stay focused. Motivation often comes from others and you seem to be more worried about what others will think about your project or goal than accomplishing it. You don’t know what the steps are to get from A to B, etc so you tend to jump all over the place, often swayed by others opinions, which constantly takes you off your track. There is no context to taking a chance. And often you look to others to lessen and protect you from failure. There are most times, a multitude of excuses why you procrastinated when something needed doing. Those that take chances often waste endless hours speculating about what other people are doing and how and why they’re doing it instead of figuring out how to get it done for themselves. They usually want everything to stay the same, the status quo. Those that “chance it” desperately try out new skills or techniques and then give up when they don’t immediately get the desired result. Those that take a chance often habitually wonder why everyone else isn’t doing a whole lot more to help them get what they want. And they complain when they think some people might be getting something that they don’t really deserve. Another perspective for those that use chance in place of strategy and the necessary work involved, is that they think they’re successful because they’ve built everything themselves.
Both are reality checks. Success is not a matter of luck, fate or divine intervention. It is not “trying” to do something. You have to make your own life, your own goals, your own future happen. Change is never easy. Don’t rely solely on everyone else to show you the way or “fix” your life. Have the courage to figure it out for yourself. That first step might be hardest one you have ever taken, but each succeeding step gets easier and easier. It’s your journey, your choice. And you can do it because you are worth it.
Avanti and ciao until next time. And please catch me up with what you did this summer. Carol
Risk Taker or Taking a Chance. Which are you?
