The Biggest Risk Is Not Taking Any Risk
One of the things that a lot of people fail to understand is that inaction may present the illusion of safety, but it actually delivers the real danger. That is, not taking any risk may be seen as a form of safety by some people, but it is actually a far bigger risk. Life will give you choices to make which will also come with their own effects. Some of the life choices may be more risky and others may look less risky, but trying to completely avoid any risk at all will open you up to a higher and bigger level of risk itself. If you refuse to take risk, then you have refused to grow, and you have also refused to evolve, choosing to remain where you are - is it not a form of risk on its own? A new phase of life gets unleashed at the edge of the comfort zone, when you dare to step out of your comfort zone and take some risks.
Always trying to play it safe is actually the easiest way to predispose one to later regret. Trust me, people do not really regret the actions that they took which did not yield up to their expectations, rather they regret the opportunities they missed by not taking risks. You may not know what you are missing, and the dream you are not fulfilling by not taking steps. If you do not chase your dreams and if you do not take actions, opportunities may slip through you without even you realising that they ever existed in the first place. If you play too safe, you may live a life of "what if" and "if only," which carry a heavy burden of regret.
The people we celebrate today as great innovators and inventors all took risks at some points. Do you know the risk the Wright Brothers took by putting metals to flight? They risked even their own life by manning the first flight in history. This was what gave birth to the modern day aeroplanes. Imagine if they had played safe or "chickened out," they would have missed out of the history hall of fame as one of the world's foremost scientist of the past. You either take that step you have always planned on taking, or you may risks more. You will be surprised what other steps can spring out of that singular step and how they will affect the entire world positively.
However, it is worthy to note that taking risks does not mean being reckless with your life, neither does it mean taking uncoordinated and uncalculated steps, rather it is about believing in your abilities to attempt certain things and to do something uncertain. It is about saying, "even though I have not done this before, but I know I can get it done, otherwise I will learn from it." When you have that mind, no mountain will be insurmountable. That is, you can dare anything, you can attempt the seemingly impossible, and even do what you have never attempted before.
Now that we have established the fact that taking risks is part of the adventures of life, and not taking risks, is a major risk, but there are things that you need to understand. Firstly, you should not take ignorant and unintelligible steps. Be intentional, logical, and clear about the steps you want to take. Let your steps be backed by adequate knowledge, not by ignorance. In fact, the more you gain knowledge, the better it will be to take certain risks. The Wright Brothers I talked about earlier had some fundamental knowledge before they took the risks. They were bicycle mechanics, so they understood the principle and practice of machines to an extent, which helped them in their quest to invent the airplane. To make it easier in life, make "learning" your ally.
In addition, you should also be quick to take advantage of chances and opportunities. In fact, stay ready to make the most out of them. It is true that life is full of chances, and each chance is full of opportunities, but the responsibility rests on you to take advantage of them. Are you prepared for the opportunity that you are hoping for? Imagine someone who is applying for a job to fly planes, but he is not a pilot yet, if he gets the job, how will he work? But when he goes to flying school, when the opportunity comes to pick up the job of a pilot, he will deliver excellently. As you plan to take risks in life, always gather as much knowledge as you can about it, so that the risk will not become a "free fall" for you.
Thanks for reading
