Denton County Living Well Magazine Summer 2015 | Page 16
Four Ways to Foil Your Fear of Risk
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How, and why, to get out of your comfort zone and take those barrier-busting leaps of faith
By Andy Thompson
ll of us have fears—especially when it comes
to taking risks in our professional and personal lives. In fact, it’s been said that FEAR
stands for “Forget Everything And Run,” which
is a logical reaction given that, by definition,
risk is “the possibility of suffering harm or loss,” and involves “uncertain danger.” However, for me, the word
“risk” evokes a sense of excitement. Of limitless possibility. It reminds me of the famously
insightful notion to “go out on a
limb, because that’s where the fruit
is.” Truer words cannot be spoken
as risk is the preeminent propelling
force that helps companies and individuals, alike, accelerate and
achieve key success benchmarks.
Here are four pieces of wisdom to help
you foil your fear of risk and supercharge positive change in your life:
1. Define and debunk your fears.
Start by defining your fears with
specificity, either in your mind or by
writing them down. During this process, be sure you conceive what you
believe to be the “worst case scenario” and the probability of that coming to fruition. The worst case scenario rarely plays out, so you can rest
easier on that front. Once all of your
fears are itemized, for each and every one detail, how you would move
past it if it were to materialize? Determining the likelihood
of each feared event and how each would be dealt with
can give you an invigorating sense of reassurance.
2. Embrace fear. Did you know nine out of 10 startup companies fail, and that the average millionaire
goes bankrupt at least 3.5 times? Statistically speaking,
some would say that the more times you fail the higher
chance you have of succeeding the next time. With fear,
the key is to not only identify it, but actually take control and use it to drive you towards that which you covet
from afar, stagnated by inaction. And, most importantly, never make a decision based on fear. The process of
understanding your fears, taking calculated risks, and
achieving the success or parlaying the failure into something positive is a far more rewarding journey than a life
lived without any risk-taking, regardless of the outcome.
3. ۛ