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Today's
Meditation:
We've simply got to take risks. Not all the time
and not in every situation, but often and in many
situations. If we don't do so, the changes that we
need to have happen and that keep our lives dynamic simply
won't happen, all so that we can keep doing the same
things, over and over again, never growing or developing
into the people we were meant to be. Risk isn't the
same for everyone-- one person may thrive by learning how
to rock climb, while another finds it incredibly risky to
apply for a new job.
When I finished college, I bought a one-way ticket to
Europe with virtually no money in my pocket, and I ended
up staying there for three years. That was a risk
that somehow didn't faze me. On the other hand, I have a very hard time talking to people I don't
know, and I often back off from doing so for no reason
other than it intimidates me. I'm getting better at
it as I grow older, but it's still a risk for me to get to
know someone on a level deeper than that of casual
acquaintance. I know that the risk I took in going
to Europe has helped me in innumerable ways; I also know
that the risks I haven't taken in getting to know other
people have kept a lot of richness out of my life.
We tend to classify risks as "necessary" or
"unnecessary," "smart" or
"stupid." And the definition of each
changes from person to person, of course. We need,
though, to be able to identify risks that we really should
take, and we need to be able to distinguish them from
risks that we really shouldn't. If a new business
venture could mean losing all our money, then we probably
shouldn't take that risk if we have a family to support;
if we're on our own and the potential damage isn't nearly
as drastic, then perhaps it's a risk that makes sense.
We like safety and security, and that's not a bad
thing. But when all that we do, we do to preserve
that security, then we may be refusing to take risks that
could be very important to us. After all, few people
get ahead in life without taking risks, and few people
learn new things without stepping outside their own little
secure worlds.
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