"Fortune favors the bold." That quote, attributed to ancient Roman African playwright Terence, tells you all you need to know about the relationship between greatness and risk. Sometimes, you have to take chances in life. Just keep doing what you've been doing, and your current reality will continue to be what you see.
That might not be a bad thing. You could have a wonderful life right now, and I certainly hope you do. However, you may never discover how great you can be if you stay safely nestled in your cozy but limiting comfort zone. Embracing risk and taking chances is a path to greatness for many for the following reasons.
Risk Is a Cornerstone Leadership Skill
People who can lead others often achieve great things. The ability to embrace risk is a core leadership component. Successful leaders understand that taking chances is necessary for creating big change.
Some of the world's greatest leaders have demonstrated that the willingness to take risks is often the catalyst for change and success. Let's take a look at a few examples of how embracing risk has led to groundbreaking achievements in leadership.
- Martin Luther King Jr - His leadership during the Civil Rights Movement required immense personal risk. Not only did he face potential imprisonment and violence, but also his family and followers.
- Nelson Mandela - After 27 years in prison, he emerged as a leader for post-apartheid South Africa. His decision to pursue reconciliation was a profound risk because many feared it would be seen as a weakness.
- Elon Musk - Risked nearly everything when he invested in SpaceX. Its early failures almost caused the collapse of the company, but Elon's willingness to embrace the risk and push forward ultimately led to SpaceX becoming the first privately owned company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station.
Average Becomes a Thing of the Past
What happens when you decide to take a chance? First and foremost, you bet on yourself. You embrace a belief that you can overcome uncertainty, risk, and other unknown factors that might appear. Second, you visualize a positive outcome. It's why you take action.
Those are the behaviors of someone who believes in greatness. Powerful self-confidence and visualization are tools successful people use to make big things happen.
???You Can Become an Early Adapter
Imagine that you are living in the Paleolithic period of human history, at the beginning of the Stone Age era. You are one of the first humans to create a stone axe, which was perfect for hunting, constructing shelter, gathering firewood, and other uses.
You are an early adapter to creating stone and bone tools that will improve the quality of life for you and your tribe. You open a shop and begin manufacturing and trading your handiwork. You quickly become the wealthiest and most respected caveman around.
In the early years of humanity, people often had to try brave, new things. They had to take chances. The first Paleolithic human who decided to spend hours or even days fashioning the first stone axe or bone knife was probably ridiculed by his fellow hunter-gatherers. He may have been viewed as lazy and could've possibly faced exile from the tribe.
Taking chances can lead to greatness if you dare to stick to your beliefs.
Barriers Lose Their Power
If you dare to take chances and face risk, a roadblock is a temporary setback, nothing more. Barriers to success lose their power to stop you because you courageously face them. If you are willing to take calculated risks, you start to believe in your ability to overcome barriers and setbacks rather than letting them stop you for good.
Yours and mine road to success starts with one bold decision: the choice to take a chance. It doesn't matter if it's a choice in your career, relationships, or personal growth, embracing risk can lead to a trasfomative breakthroughs. The question becomes, are you willing to step out of your comfort zone to see what's possible?
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Don't wait till later. Take the first step TODAY.
This is one of my favorite books by my mentor. John teaches you how to turn mistakes into stepping stones for success. You will learn that failure is not the end, but an opportunity to grow and achieve greatness.