I was sitting in my dorm, contemplating whether or not I should message a guy I had recently met. As I was pondering if I should click send, I realized how silly I was being. What was I really worried about— him not texting back? If he didn’t, would it be the end of the world? Besides a small and short-lived stab to my ego, it would not. Plus, where would we be in life if we didn’t take a couple of risks? Nowhere. As Benjamin Mee once said, “You know, sometimes all you need is twenty seconds of insane courage. Just literally twenty seconds of just embarrassing bravery. And I promise you, something great will come of it.” I completely agree, and this is why everyone should become more of a risk taker.
You’re only young once.
Seriously, we do not have all the time in the world to be young. Be adventurous and try something new. Ask that guy from your chemistry class to go on a date with you. Study abroad because you want to. Put everything on the line and feel satisfied knowing you gave your best effort. The point is, regret stems from not taking the chance to try or do something new. No one wants to look back in ten years and wish they would have taken the risk.
Risks create opportunities.
Have you ever been resisted joining a student org or applying for a job purely out of fear— fear of being rejected or not fitting in? That very org you were too scared to join could have perhaps changed your career path; that job you were too nervous to apply for could have perhaps allowed you to travel the world. You never know how an opportunity can change your life or where it can take you.
There can be positive outcomes.
Often, the reward will outweigh the initial fear of taking risks.
But, there can also be negative outcomes.
Sometimes we soar, and other times we fall flat on our faces. Either way, it’s a learning experience that makes us grow as a person.
Risks make you feel alive.
Do you like the way your adrenaline pumps through your veins when you’re deciding whether or not you want to try something? That’s the epitome of feeling alive. Going through life by taking the safe route is exactly that— safe.
Risks create memories and stories.
Great— and often funny and embarrassing— stories can always come from taking risks. Every experience you have in your life changes you. So take the risk, seize the experience, and run with it.
Whether it be the risk of trying a class that you have no experience with, or asking someone on a date, just take the risk. As Erin Hanson would say, “And you ask, “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, what if you fly?” This is the time for you to take these little risks— you’ll never know where it can take you until it happens to you.