It Takes Strength to take a Risk

Trust me I’m going somewhere with this.

I saw this creature enroute to town today after my ride on Great Picken. What strength he displayed out there solo without a buddy in sight. Even more so, since horses are very much herd animals, truly exemplifying risk and courage in his world. Never know when a predator will come up behind him and eat him.
Courage is like a muscle. Just as you wouldn’t run 10 miles your first week out - you don’t have to begin building courage by running the NY Marathon . (Though, it’d be the safe and scenic way to see the 5 boroughs.)

People often think that courage has to be big. Like sky-diving- which i’ve done, When you set your stake that high, then you never have to approach it. I’m talking about the kinda courage that makes you stronger with each move you make. A good personal example was the courage to get back on the horse again and again (literally and figuratively) after Picken did her first “controlled runaway” attempt.

As a fairly new innkeeper, have been frequently asked “how were you able to leave the comfort and security of the “known” and open a bed and breakfast” Early everyone dreams of moving to the country, but few people are crazy enough to actually do it. I’m one of those few. Actually when I was “knee high to a grasshopper “as they say, I had said I wanted to live in Montana because of its sense of adventure and limitleness. We finally had enough of the left coast and came up with the Montana move plan. Armed with an overenthusiastic sense of adventure, and lots of naivete, we ended up in our dream log home . It subsequently became the “dream home” after much renovating.

Obviously , first off, is the passion and desire to do it. But what makes anyone in it for the long haul is a an inner strength and the ability to take some risk. And that combination, I think is necessary methinks for folks running a business. Strength and courage to go for it., take risk. I actually had the opportunity to leave my “day job” in New York and strike out on own, but didnt. And I realize now, it had less to do with money than courage.

The underlying question has to do with your tolerance for risk and desire for higher reward. For all the talk about the high salaries of corporate CEOs, the reality is that most millionaires are self-employed professionals or entrepreneurs. Yet most strike out a few times before reaching their goal. Live in these questions.

1. Is this something that would truly benefit me if I learned it or put it into action?

2. What are some of the possible benefits I might gain if I learned or did this thing?

3. What could I potentially lose if I didn’t learn this thing or do this thing?

4. What’s the worst that could happen if I took a risk and learned this thing or did this thing?

What used to look risky might not look so risky anymore. In fact, it might actually start looking like a great idea to learn or do this thing. Not bad, huh? Trying picking one incomplete in your life (cluttered attic, article you want to write, craft you want to begin) and do it for 15 minutes a day. It’s more courageous to do something for a small chunk of time and do it again the very next day - than it is to sit back and say it can’t be done because you don’t have enough time.

A favorite quote of mine comes to mind

F
ar better it is to dare mighty things to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered with failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that know not victory or defeat.

– Theodore Roosevelt