Have you ever been disappointed, let down, or felt like
a failure? If you are human and honest with yourself then I am
pretty sure, at some point in your life the answer has been
YES! Maybe you have been in a relationship where someone has
let you down or even worse, hurt you so bad that you just
can't seem to get past it. Perhaps you've gone after a
promotion only to be denied, or maybe you have a dream that
you started to pursue but were told, "that will never work" by
others... leaving you feeling defeated and foolish.
Regardless of where you are, what you've been through or
what your experiences have led you to believe about yourself,
your circumstances, and your dreams... I hope you will
remember this:
Life = Risk
That may be a little simplistic but it really is true. Risk
is the possibility of suffering harm or loss. Do you want that
life? One that offers the possibility of harm or loss? Of
course not... but that may be our problem. All too often we
are trying to live predictable, managed, and safe lives that
we allow negative outcomes, from our previous risk, to limit
our future possibilities. We become guarded and safe.
Risk is a scary thing, no doubt... and we're not talking
about the "Hey let's go jump on a roller coaster" type of
risk. The real risks of life are much more exhilarating than
that. Take love for example. Love is the ultimate risk. When
you love, you open up your heart and your soul to someone
else... and run the risk of eventually being hurt or let down
in the deepest of ways. On the flip side... without that risk,
we cannot experience the joys of what true love brings.
Risk is not the problem, it's what we do with the outcome
of taking risk that is. If you step out in business or a
project and fail... that is the problem. If you step
out in love and get hurt... that is the problem. If you
step out to pursue your dream and feel defeated when
someone tells you "no,"... that is the problem.
You see, none of the above actions was the problem... the
response was. "Failure, hurt, defeated." Often we seek instant
answers from an event or occurrence but in doing so we allow
it to bring harm or loss to us in a way that might be against
our bigger plan. Imagine for a second that in each perceived
failure, in each hurt, in each defeat that God actually has
something bigger and better in store for you. You just might
not be able to see it yet. While the outcome of risk may not
always match what we envision as positive, it may be more
beneficial than we could even know.
I think of people like Michael Jordan who, when cut from
his High School basketball team, went home and cried but as we
know, later went on to become arguably one of the best NBA
players in history. Or Walt Disney who was once fired from a
newspaper that though he "lacked creativity." If either one of
these individuals had let their defeat stop them from risking
life then they never would have been able to realize their
purpose.
Risk = Life
When you risk you live. When we use the outcome of risk to
help us learn rather than to harm or hurt us, we choose to not
avoid risk but to invite risk into our lives. Don't get caught
in the trap of letting past defeats, hurts and pains rob you
from living the life you were meant to live. A life without
risk would be a life without love.
This week be encouraged to risk. Risk comes in all shapes
and sizes. For some it might mean risking to let go of a past
hurt. For others it might be to pursue that dream regardless
of what others say. Choose to change the definition of risk
from the possibility of suffering harm or loss to the
opportunity to experience life.
Until next time... Be Kind.
-Daniel
Watch
a Great Short Inspirational Video About Risk
Things you
might not have known about Michael Jordan, The Beatles,
Abraham Lincoln... and more. Click the blue link above.
