Take Risks – Build Comfort

Considering risk is part of every decision we make.

It takes a combination of instinct, logic, and courage to move forward with something while knowing there is a real possibility of failure or negative consequence.

Once a decision is made that involves risk, one develops tolerance of the anxiety that comes along with the ambiguity of the outcome.

As with anything, the more you are exposed to this type of circumstance, the more comfortable you are dealing with the anxiety that comes along with it. So as a direct result of risk taking, you are able to comfortably tolerate an increased level of risk as time passes.

Risk and Reward are directly related. This is true in a monetary sense, but also from a Holistic Wellness perspective.

Some behaviors and activities that bring joy or positive energy to your life may be disregarded because you believe the risk aligned to the decision to engage is too high.

Some Examples:

• Secret talents that bring you Joy (Singing for me) – risk of external judgement and criticism
• Exercise – risk of making ourselves uncomfortable
• Eating Well – risk of food not tasting as good as alternative
• Reading – Risk of not engaging in other activities (that may or may not be more productive than reading)

It is common knowledge that doing the things that make us feel good and are good for us are the right things to do.

By taking the risk initially, you expose yourself to the possibility of negative experience – mostly generated as a result of the opportunity cost of your time. But choosing the less preferred, but better for you, alternative, you are directly improving your comfort level when inevitable opportunities arise for behavior or activity engagement in the future.

Taking risks consistently facilitates development of a perspective of comfort, where one of discomfort formerly existed for engagement in particular scenarios and experiences.

Increased risk taking results in increased reward realized. This is the case in all facets of life – build up your ability to take bigger risks by taking the small ones in your day-to-day.