Turning Reckless Gambles into Calculated Risks

We are in a time when people are hesitant to take risks. But let's be direct: the problem isn't that you're already feeling risky, driving on the highway is risky enough, the problem is that too many of us confuse a calculated risk with a reckless gamble. That distinction is everything. A reckless gamble is jumping out without a plan; a calculated risk is doing the research and setting up backup upon backup.

The ultimate threat to your growth isn't the unknown; it's the comfort zone. We’re talking about career stagnation. When you can do your job in your sleep, that sounds like the soft life, but it's actually the biggest risk you can take. We've seen the Catch-22 of that certainty. I know someone who had a great government job, believing the system would take care of them, but when the administration switched, they got laid off. Suddenly, they didn't know how to get a job because their resume was dusty. Don't let years of comfort cost you decades of growth. You have to make yourself indispensable within your role by learning new trades and volunteering for projects other people aren't.

I can speak to this personally. My first job out of college, I was a financial analyst, and I learned every single thing about the business to the point that I could sleep and still be working. It was automatic. I knew the money was good, but then I started leveling up my life I wanted a nicer apartment and a new car. I realized, I don't think I could live like this on this salary. That moment of ambition was the challenge I needed. The mindset has to be "If I'm not growing. I'm dying."

If you’re young, under 30 and without kids you have less to lose, which means it’s in your best interest to fail, fail, fail, because you can recover faster. Your biggest failure would be getting to the end and wishing you had tried, being stuck with should have, would have, could have.

To build your risk appetite, you must start small. Your first step, your Minimum Viable Product to being risky, could be as simple as spending some money to register your LLC. Also, surround yourself with people who will challenge you and hold you accountable. Finally, understand that failure is not final, my guy. Instead of fearing it, treat failure like feedback. Walk yourself through the process, "and then what? and then what?". By the time you've walked through the worst-case scenario, you've already prepared for it and it no longer holds power over you. Remember, you only need to get it right one time.

It is time to stop waiting on others for innovation and start making generational shifts. Take that calculated risk today.

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Watch the full episode athttps://youtu.be/fL45BsCpFa4.