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Risk vs. Reward

by mspillman
6 replies
For the most part, everything that we do has a certain amount of RISK as well as REWARD as part of the process.

Some risk is greater than others, with the same being true of reward.

Whether it be asking someone out on a date, getting married, decided to have children, choosing a job, changing a job or many others - there are RISKS involved with each as well as there being REWARD involved with each.

"The odds are against you" or "The odds are not in your favor" may be said by those around us as a way of "warning" to us if we have decided to take what may be considered a "risky move" in the eyes of others.

Sometimes, even in the midst of "negative odds", the REWARD (at least for us) outweighs the risk and we move forward with our plans.

Another way that this is considered is by using the "Pros vs. Cons" approach as well.

Do the work. Do the "research". Do your best to make the best decision - for YOU - that you can.

But, at the same time, know this: Being human means that you will NEVER make the "right choice" 100% of the time.

Don't let that disturb or discourage you, friend. For this is part of what makes up "life" as we know it. It is part of the "thrill" of being alive and experiencing life.

Don't be afraid to take a little risk from time to time...you just may end up further ahead, by doing so, than you ever thought possible!

"Make it an AWESOME day! (Who else is going to do it for you?)"

Mike
#reward #risk
  • Profile picture of the author TNGold
    You are so right about this, Mike. Taking risks and following your dreams and passions are what makes us feel alive and make this life exciting. Yes we will fail if we do this but isn't that better than never trying at all? I say Yes. I have seen a quote about a boat being much safer in the harbor. Well of course it is. But that is not what boats are made for. And staying in our comfort zones, never taking risk is not what we were made for either. Can you imagine what would have happened if the founding fathers of our great country decided not to take the risk of coming to the new world and building this great place? And is avoiding risk really safe? Mark Zuckerberg made a great point when he said "The biggest risk is not taking any risk...In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy guaranteed to fail is not taking risks".
    Jeff
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    • Profile picture of the author Odahh
      Originally Posted by TNGold View Post

      You are so right about this, Mike. Taking risks and following your dreams and passions are what makes us feel alive and make this life exciting. Yes we will fail if we do this but isn't that better than never trying at all? I say Yes. I have seen a quote about a boat being much safer in the harbor. Well of course it is. But that is not what boats are made for. And staying in our comfort zones, never taking risk is not what we were made for either. Can you imagine what would have happened if the founding fathers of our great country decided not to take the risk of coming to the new world and building this great place? And is avoiding risk really safe? Mark Zuckerberg made a great point when he said "The biggest risk is not taking any risk...In a world that's changing really quickly, the only strategy guaranteed to fail is not taking risks".
      Jeff
      well if you look at the pilgrams who almost didn't make it through the first couple winters and who had also landed much further north than they had planed ..

      the look into the revolutionary war ..and how there where several time the army almost disbanded ..outside of battle ..

      there are risks in everything ..having a job and having bills that just match your income is a huge risk today.. almost dumb as f.... considering it is a normal thing to change jobs every few years .

      getting married has high risks depending on the number of sexual partners each has had prior and if one has already been divorced .

      how about the millions of people with college degrees piles of debt and they are working jobs that 5 years ago no one needed a degree to do..and living at home ..

      in today the biggest risks people take..are actually the tthing that used to be very safe ..now they are risky as hell and most people are in denial .

      lots of people wjhere happy the congress is raising the minimum wage .. the people who only can get those job .. though they had it made the same way they thought they had it made with mandated health insurance ..

      now they can't get full time jobs ..so they have to pay out of pocket..and because costs of employing people are going up to much ..fast food places will replace low wage employees with automated equipment ..and even more work will be done outsde the country .

      then think about investing in mutual funds ..most people think it is safe .,. it is for the mutual fund company..but in a market down turn..you can end up with a much smaller nest egg..a big tax bill.. and the mutual fnd gets a boat load of fees from you .

      what used to be safe is now very risky
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  • Profile picture of the author EdwardW
    Agreed! Everything worth while in life usually involves Risks. In the words of Bill Cosby " In order to succeed, your desire for success should be greater than your fear of failure " If what you want is truly a worthwhile goal that will change the lives of people or those around you there will be Risks involved but the outcome of the bigger picture will be well worth everything you go through.

    We are all born Winners . Think about it...We were #1 out of 400,000,000 sperm. The odds were stacked against us from the beginning. IF we had a choice before we were born whether to participate in the journey of being the first sperm out of 400,000,000 do you think you would agree to be in that race? Probably not based on the Odds and Risks involved because most die before ever making it to the end of the journey. So go for what you want in life you are already a "Born Winner" that has been empowered with greatness within.

    "If You Risk Nothing...Then You Risk Everything" ~ Geena Davis
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  • Profile picture of the author Rory Wilkinson
    Originally Posted by mspillman View Post

    For the most part, everything that we do has a certain amount of RISK as well as REWARD as part of the process.
    So true Mike,

    Its actually a really key point that you touch on.

    Because if you understand this concept then you can actually achieve so much more...

    Because results are based on the action that we take right? (as in your example, you can only get married or meet that new person (reward) if you are willing to say hello (risk of being rejected).

    Now if you aren't taking action at the level that you would like its because at some level in your mind the risk of taking action overstates the reward that you can potentially get... In that particular moment.

    See intellectually we can all understand that approaching that person would benefit us but if you didn't take action then in that moment our neurological association (how we actually feel in our gut) is that approaching is more of a risk that a reward.

    In a marketing sense writing that blog post is more of a risk (the time involved) vs the reward we feel we will achieve (sales made)...

    So how can we overcome this. How can we take action on the things we know we should do but yet don't do...

    The answer: make the task easier (i.e. lower the risk). Trick our brains into thinking that the task is so easy that we might as well do it.

    Instead of saying I'm going to write 10 blogs a day... say I'm going to write one headline for a blog post a day...

    Then your brain will think that there is no risk (its so easy to achieve) and you will sit down and write the headline. Then guess what? Once you are in the seat and have written the headline, your brain says "well I might as well write the post now that i'm here". You get into the flow of things and thus end up getting so much more done.
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    • Profile picture of the author Jeff Schuman
      Nice post Mike. I am always reminded of the saying "even a turtle doesn't get ahead without sticking out his neck"...So true for us as well!
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  • Profile picture of the author Matthew Trujillo
    You want to take smart risks, not stupid risks!

    With NO RISK, comes NO REWARD.

    With NO GUTS, comes NO GLORY.

    A ship is safe at harbor but is that what ships are really made for?
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