All of the Rewards … None of the Risks

Limiting your life by playing it safe.

Risk has a positive side – it brings rewards!

Now I’m not saying that everyone should become daredevils with a total disregard for their own and others’ safety and wellbeing. But if you never risk anything, what can you truly gain?

Risk comes in many flavors – some contain social peril; some jeopardize finances; but perhaps the most sensitive risks expose your self-confidence.

Some people are so adverse to any type of risk that they settle for what they feel is safe and ultimately wind up losing in the long run – by sitting on the sideline.

What we need to learn is how to maximize life’s rewards while keeping the risks under control.

[ad#inline-body]

Working for “The Man”

I met an interesting gentleman the other night at a networking event. He had recently been laid off from his job as a project manager, and wanted to know where businesses were heading. He went on to say that he had taken multi-million dollar projects from concept through to production and didn’t mind working on diverse projects. He was looking for another “job”.

My response was easy – I suggested that with his background and past experience, he has everything he needed to run his own project from concept through to production. He should work for himself and pull together all of the resources he needs.

You’d think I suggested he declare bankruptcy

His initial reply of “That sounds risky” colored the rest of the conversation. He was no longer listening to ideas, only coming up with reasons why he was unwilling to take the risk. The need to support a family, knowing others who went off on their own, the time needed to get established, etc.

These are valid concerns and shouldn’t be dismissed, but his fear of risk shut him off to the very good possibility that he could succeed.

On my own

I’ve been on my own for more than a year now, running Tylock and Company – with only myself for company. I traded in the “safety” of working for a paycheck for the risk of succeeding with my own business. I never expected it to be easy, and it isn’t – it’s a lot of work. But I’m following my passion and learning more then I could if I were still working for someone else.

Yes, I have to wear every hat – and partner with others that I’ve developed great relationships with. In hind sight, I see every stage in my career as a stepping stone: building individual competency, team leadership, budgets and policies, consulting skills, salesmanship, dedication to the customer, effective communication, name value, the WOW factor.

In the process of heading out on my own, I’ve found even more strength.

Imagined stability

In the financial world, some people believe that “no risk” is a great investment – money salted away at a specific fixed rate of return with a guarantee of safety. What they fail to realize is that the trade off for no risk is that their money isn’t working to its full potential! By eliminating risk, they are eliminating real growth.

A professional career is no different. If the risk of “not getting a paycheck”, is the only risk considered (and minimized), the risk of “not having an environment that lets you blossom and grow” is the thing that is ignored.

And the penalty is a professional career that slowly fades away…

Drive your passion

I’ve written about this in other forms, and pointed to good resources (Escape from Cubicle Nation being a great resource on starting your own business), but it bears repeating: find out what you love, and then follow the breadcrumbs…