Too Much Safety Is Dangerous for Your Well-Being

[Winston]

http://www.real-success.ca/ebooks/101_R ... apters.pdf

Too Much Safety Is Dangerous
for Your Well-Being

“No one from the beginning of time has had security,� proclaimed American
diplomat and writer Eleanor Roosevelt. Her words are ones to ponder carefully.
Security is one of those things most — if not all — people strive for all of their
lives. The dark side of security, however, is that it is an illusion at best. Too
much safety, in fact, is dangerous for your well-being. In more cases than you
can ever imagine, the bigger risk is in not taking the risk.

As a matter of course we all have a tendency to grow comfortable with
existing conditions — even those that do us absolutely no good (there are many
forms of mental illness). For instance, in the workplace we end up tolerating
dead-end jobs, professions we dislike, and companies that mistreat us. Of
course, we resist making changes because we fear the unknown.

You yourself may have settled into a comfortable and predictable routine.
There comes a time, however, when you have to find something that will
stretch your talents more. You must have faith in yourself. When your instincts
tempt you to take a risk on something that is not a life-and-death matter, then
do so with confidence.

If you are dissatisfied with your career choice, the greatest risk may be in
not leaving your job. Don’t wait for the right time to quit. It’s best to do it now
because there is never a right time. There is risk involved in most important
decisions. A recent survey by the Royal Bank of Canada showed that
successful entrepreneurs, who left their secure jobs to be on their own, believed
taking chances made them stronger and wiser. Paradoxically, by taking the
road with more risks, they achieved more security.

Of course, risk-taking can be dangerous for sensation-seekers. So don’t be
rash and risk losing everything you have. It’s not intelligent to take extremely
high or uncertain risks. Wise people take calculated risks. The key is to take
smart risks instead of stupid ones. If you are a fifty-year-old man, you stand a
one-in-two-hundred chance of dying in the next year. Since you may not be
around in any event, why not take some calculated risks that may pay back big
dividends in happiness and satisfaction?

Contrary to popular wisdom, the risk of taking action can be less than the
risk of inaction. Life is a perilous journey at best. Incredible romance,
remarkable fame, and outstanding success are attained by those individuals
who take substantial risks. On one hand, you can play it totally safe and wind
up with what you already have to your name — you may even wind up with
less. On the other hand, you can take a few risks and cash in on a few
wonderful opportunities and wind up with a lot more of the things you would
like out of life.

Traveling on a risk-free road, unfortunately, won’t get you to any important
destination. Unfavorable odds shouldn’t keep you from pursuing what you
know intuitively you were meant to do. Many people will criticize you for
attempting those things that they wouldn’t dare attempt themselves. Cowards,
who would like you to remain a coward, should be ignored. There is a time you
have to be courageous and dive into the unknown with the intention of
swimming with what fate brings your way. Happiness and satisfaction will be
much more forthcoming when you have the courage to pursue your
convictions.

When your inner voice is telling you to take a risk, it’s best to do so even
though your rational mind may be telling you otherwise. Following the tried
and proven path may appear the safest. In some ways it is. But blazing your
own trail will bring you more adventure and satisfaction and leave tracks for
others to see. Conversely, you won’t leave any tracks following a trail that’s
heavily traveled by the masses.

If the path you have taken in life feels really safe, then likely it is not the
right path. When you look back on your life, you’ll regret the things you didn’t
attempt more than the ones you did and at which you failed. The virtue of risktaking
is emphasized in this old adage: “Someone who tries to do something
and fails is a lot better off than the person who tries to do nothing and
succeeds.�