Lost your job? Afraid to lose it? Scared of losing your biggest business deal? Worried about life? Thinking too much of tomorrow and don’t know if you will be able to live the life you dream of? ……………. Welcome to the CLIFF!

One of the components of our lives will always remain “Ambiguity” .. No one knows what will happen tomorrow and no one can anticipate how good or bad life will treat us one day .. For that reason, the majority of human beings are trying to secure resources, as much as possible, for their future .. But the questions we need to ask ourselves are .. “Are we enjoying the ride?” .. “Are we making our own choices?”

How many times do we hear people around us saying “It’s too risky” …. “It’s too dangerous” … “Are you sure you want to do this?” …. and all other statements warning us of taking risks .. isn’t that correct? … But do we realize that every single day, every moment of our lives we do take risks … huge ones?! Isn’t life all about risks? Every day and every moment?

You are always on the EDGE!

Getting out of bed in the morning means that you have initiated your risk journey .. risking yourself of injuries, falling down, electric shocks, car accidents, financial loss, relationship loss …etc , and all other risks you can ever think of, including losing life .. But why do we still do it? Is it because we got used to it? or is it because we think of the gains? … take a moment and think before you answer please …!

The majority of people actually take risks because they have to … I call that “The Cat Approach” .. let’s reflect for a moment … if you run after a cat, it will run away, until it is cornered in a room corner and it realizes that there is no escape, then what happens? The cat takes an approach to defend itself and turns into a monster .. claws out, and jumps like a panther to protect itself .. aren’t the majority of us using this approach? How many times do we take proactive risk, without having to be cornered? Do we seek risk or avoid risk? How do we respond to “Warning signs”?

Being “Cautious” doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take risks .. it only means that we should slow down sometimes only to reflect on how to proceed and not whether to proceed! The “How” will help us make choices based on benefits and chances while the “Whether” will only grow fear of moving forward.

Whenever I attend an entrepreneurship session or lecture at one, I hear hundreds of concerns of people fearing failure and actually they need some more assurance to stop what they want to do, or go back in their thinking, while I hear an extremely limited number of reasons to succeed .. The majority of people think of brake pads, and reasons to avoid risks, neglecting that life is all about taking risk, whether you take them or actually they will be imposed by others over you ..

Are full-time job holders safer than entrepreneurs and self-employed? Of course not, both of them have the risk of losing their job any day or losing income .. right? Keeping money in the bank is safer than investing it? Are you sure? What happens if currency devaluates?

The fact that we neglect when thinking about risk is that we will always have to make a jump, and we will always have to take risks .. The only true question is actually whether we make the jump intentionally or whether we are pushed to make the jump!

The intentional jump

Every success and excitement in life is actually due to intentional jumps … when you consciously decide to invest and it works .. when you consciously decide to try something new and you succeed … when you consciously make a decision and it turns out to be the right one … you know why? It’s just because you managed to make a jump in a direction that you have chosen .. It was YOUR choice!

Let’s be frank .. what is the biggest hurdle between us achieving our dreams? .. The answer is “Us”! Our own fears that we grow bigger and bigger every day, so that we are unable to step over them .. Our comfort zones that we like to make even more comfortable every day .. It is “us” that we need to compete with .. nothing else ..

It’s all about ..

If you are not 100% sure that you will live tomorrow .. never sure that you will keep your job for one more month … not sure how will your money grow or decline for tomorrow .. aren’t those all motives to make a positive move and make intentional jumps?

Fearing the future will not stop it from coming .. we all have to move forward right?, so isn’t it wise to be proactive, take risks, and decide our own destiny? .. Think about this one with your heart … deep from within ..

Written by:

Engagement Expert, International Speaker & Pragmatic researcher