How Much Risk Is Too Much To Take?

The ladder was braced against the railings going to the basement. I started climbing up. I had to get to the ceiling and this was my Rube Goldberg way of doing it without having to put up scaffolding. I made it up two or three rungs before coming to my senses. It would be so easy for the railing to break and for me to go tumbling down the stairs.

You see I was trying to paint my living room with a cathedral ceiling. I had to get up near the apex at 12 feet. The problem was that there were stairs going to the basement and nowhere to safely put the ladder. So I tried bracing it against the railing before giving up. I was trying to put primer over a quote painted in black that said, "It's not how far you fall, but how high you bounce." It would have been so ironic for me fall from the ladder while trying to paint over that quote. Believe me, I wouldn't have bounced very high.

How much risk is too much? I calculated the risk and found the risk was too high for the reward. I ended up taping a paintbrush to a long pole, and I got the quote painted just fine. Just a little ingenuity.

In the book, "Mental Judo" by Lance Lager, he talks about falling also. "In physical judo, practically the first thing you learn is how to fall. ? In Mental Judo, as in physical judo, learning how to 'fall' is important. I don't mean, of course, falling on your rump, but in a figurative sense falling is falling. Life is a series of ups and downs, and none of us is our imperfection can avoid taking a fall from time to time. When you don't reach your goal, when you are rejected or ignored or just outwitted for the moment, you are experiencing a fall. It is extremely important that you learn how to fall gracefully and be able to snap right back up with a minimum of effort and without fear of the next fall or concern about an injured ego. Just as in skiing or ice skating, if you are not falling, you are not learning or trying something new."

We are bound to fall, whether through our own fault or the fault of someone we depended on, be it life at home or in the workplace. What do we do when we fall? Sit and cry? Get mad? Resign ourselves to the fact that this is the way life is always going to be and that success will never come my way? It can be happen in any of these scenarios.

I've taken some tumbles myself. A big tumble came last summer when I was doing a job search. I had a good meeting with a company that was looking for someone to do business development for them. I had a very good first interview and was invited back for a second one. The owner of the company called the morning of the second meeting and said he had to postpone the meeting until after the weekend because of time deadlines. Okay.

On Monday I called and left a message. No returned call. The next day I tried the phone and an email. Nothing. On Wednesday, I got ahold of the second in command who was in on the meeting. He said I needed to talk with the owner, and that he would call me back. I heard nothing more. I gave one more attempt on Friday and never heard a word.

Did I do something to offend them? Did they think I was a loser who couldn't possibly help them? Was I overly naïve and put too many eggs in this one basket? I don't know what happened and may never find out. But what I learned from that experience was to bounce back and keep doing what I needed to do in order to support my family.

I decided a while after this incident to restart my business, which is another excellent opportunity to fall. But it hasn't been so far. I've been meeting a lot of new people and getting new clients on a weekly basis. But it is a risk.

I was talking with a gentleman who had owned his own business for thirty-five years. He told me, "I didn't go into business for myself to make a lot of money. I just wanted to control my own life."

Life is risky. We are learning in the current economy that it can be risky to even have a day-to-day job with a company. Risk can be fun, and it can be ulcer producing. So, take a bit of a risk right now. It doesn't have to be something big. It takes a while to develop your risk muscles. It can start with little stuff and then move onto something bigger.

Dave Carlson is the owner of Venturewide Internet Marketing, specializing in helping businesses succeed on the Web through search engine optimization and pay per click marketing. He can be reached at 720-922-3124.

See his Web site at http://www.venturewide.com.

© 2005, Dave Carlson, All Rights Reserved

---

How to Get rid of the ?Overwhelm? Monster

If you wear many hats, manage a family and/or a... Read More

Breaking Through Resistance

Why is it that every time you start something new,... Read More

Motivation - The 4 Most Potent Ways To Awaken Your Enthusiasm

...it is in this whole process of meeting and solving... Read More

Change Your Life, Release Fear, and Create What you Really Want

Do you have a dream? Or do you just have... Read More

10 Ways to Kick the Procrastination Habit

I recently read about a survey (by the University of... Read More

10 Easy Ways To Stop Procrastinating

It is counterproductive to concentrate on so many tasks that... Read More

Avoid This Tendency And Youll Press Beyond Your Limits!

Inside of every one of us is the desire to... Read More

The Top 10 Creative Strategies for Moving into Action and For Getting Bottom Line Results

Your ability to move into action and to achieve bottom... Read More

Overcome Fear: You?ll Miss All The Shots You Don?t Take

A lot of folks are petrified at the mere thought... Read More

Is Work Still Necessary?

I have a confession to make - several confessions in... Read More

7 Key Steps to Unshakable Confidence

Do you remember that day? Perhaps it was your first... Read More

Regret or Passion? Which Will Be Yours?

I once attended a retreat on how to live with... Read More

Ten Terrific Self Motivating Tips

No one can motivate anyone to do anything. All a... Read More

Believe

It's like that old joke about how long did it... Read More

Its My Blankey and Im Keeping It!

"Blankey" ? as in Security Blankey. OK? All parents know... Read More

Success Secrets - Achieving Ultimate Success

I hope you're having an AWESOME week!Let me first say... Read More

DAMAGED

On the J-O-B. That's where I met him. Quentin Cole... Read More

Why Idle Hands Create Stagnation in Our Lives

You've probably heard the phrase, "Idle hands are the devil's... Read More

A Resolution for Excellence

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not... Read More

Its Only Too Late If You Dont Start Living Now

Remember when summer seemed to last forever? My mother use... Read More

The Downward Spirals Of Life - Top Ten Steps For Freeing Ourselves From

Some people call them vicious circles or cycles. I prefer... Read More

Celebrating the Couch Potato

Ah, the couch potato, that icon of American pop culture... Read More

How to Talk to Yourself When Nobody is Listening and You Want to

Do you ever pay attention to the thoughts inside your... Read More

Quick Steps To Help You Take Action Now

Need to move ahead and yet find yourself holding back?Edward... Read More

The Thrivers Secrets to Success?: It Starts With Your Attitude - Get a Grip and Go®!

What impact would it have on your professional and personal... Read More

Have You Ever Not Done Something Because Someone Said You Couldnt?

"Every truly great accomplishment is at first impossible." It's a... Read More

All Talk And No Action; So Let It Be Written; So Let It Be Done!

It is so important to know how to motivate ourselves... Read More

The Conversation of Recovery - Part One

Transformational Counseling is all about assisting another human being to... Read More

Full Steam Ahead, Just Dont Go Off Half Cocked!

Do you do things that you don't want to do?... Read More

How Mind Implants Increase Business Success

If your business isn't as successful as you envision, what's... Read More

Motivation From A Great Western - We All Have It Coming

Most self-help gurus warn us against watching too much TV.... Read More

The Undeniable Power of a Mastermind Group

A Mastermind is a group of individuals who are joined... Read More

If It Feels Good, It Must Be Right

Copyright © 2003 Priya Shah Is it... Read More