Take a Chance!

"You get what you settle for." - Thelma and Louise

You've probably heard countless inspirational quotes about taking chances, like "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." Although motivational, these words often fail to push those who are hesitant into action. Everyone is aware of the potential rewards of taking risks; they desire them and seek them out. Yet, when faced with the opportunity to act, many freeze, letting the chance slip by as their inner protective mechanisms kick in, urging them to avoid risk due to fear of failure or the unknown.

You may have experienced this in your life, feeling an urge to take a risk, only to have another part of you take over, stopping you from moving forward. This leaves you with feelings of disappointment, regret, and dissonance. It’s not cowardice; it's the work of an instinctive part of your unconscious mind, designed to protect you from experiencing pain, whether physical or psychological. Once you acknowledge this, the solution becomes clearer. Fighting your protective instincts only strengthens them, making you imagine the worst possible scenarios and discouraging you further. Instead, the key is to work with these protective instincts, using their natural function to propel yourself in the direction you want.

"Throw your heart over the fence, and the rest of your body will follow" is a quote that resonated deeply with me. I now use it as a guiding principle when I feel apprehension or fear about taking an action I know I want. In practice, this means that your protective instincts will always try to shield you from perceived danger. By immediately throwing yourself into the situation, you engage those instincts to help you navigate the new reality you’ve created by taking that step, even if it’s sometimes blindly.

Consider NASA's approach to space missions. They often launch daring missions without knowing how to get the astronauts back, trusting that by the time the mission is over, they will have found a solution. As Annie Dillard says, "You've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down." Over-analyzing situations leads to worry and anxiety, hooking your protective instincts and making you avoid stress by running away rather than facing it. The mind, evolved to preserve energy, will always prefer the path of least resistance.

We do not grow our personal power and resilience by only doing what we know we can; we grow it by stretching our abilities. When faced with a moment of uncertainty and you say to yourself, "I'm not sure if I can pull this off," pushing through instead of running away leads to breakthroughs. These moments become references for future uncertainties, building healthier personal power and confidence.

Avoiding risks keeps you close to the ground, where it feels safe, telling yourself that a fall won’t hurt much. In reality, the floor is only in our heads; it’s not real. Security is a mental construct, and like any mental construct, we choose what constitutes security or danger for us. I once believed that financial security came from having a steady job with a steady income. Now, I know that true financial security comes from equipping yourself with skills that people will pay good money for.

Every man dies, but not every man really lives. We face such decisions all the time, and our choices dictate and create our reality. We can choose to step forward into growth or step back into safety. What will you choose?