People often admire my aunt for her calmness under stress and her cleverness in real estate investing — all without formal training. Her friends say she has a big appetite for risk. She disagrees.
When facing a decision, she thinks through the best and worst outcomes and asks herself, “Can I handle it?” If the answer is yes, she moves forward without second-guessing. When things don’t work out, instead of getting angry or anxious, she simply points out the law of probability — when the sample size grows, setbacks are inevitable — and focuses on dealing with them rather than getting emotional.
Another friend once dreamed of becoming a general manager at a major corporation by 40. She achieved it, then made a bold choice: to switch careers and become an executive coach.
When I asked where she found the courage, she said,
“Imagine you’re 90 — what stories will you tell yourself? ‘Oh, I wish I had tried…’? I’m only 40; I have 40 years ahead. I’ll give myself two years to try. It’s incidental in the grand scheme.”
While earning her certification, she got her first two clients through her previous network. Today, she runs a thriving business.
Are they taking risks? Absolutely.
Are they risk-takers? Not blindly.
They prepare, take a deep breath, trust themselves — and jump.
How are you taking risks?