Risk It All For the Ultimate Payoff

Risk and Reward

Risk is a subject that has always played a part in my life. In fact risk still plays an important part. At this time in my life I could be sitting back and reaping the rewards of my many years in the practice of law. Instead, I have decided to risk that relatively safe environment and become a speaker.

And, in case you missed the name of this web site, I speak about fear. And there is plenty of fear associated with risk.

I go around the country speaking to people about how to overcome their fear. I encourage them to take a risk, I do it because risk is a subject I know a lot about. I want others to understand that they have to take a risk in order to reach their full potential, whatever that may be. I also want them to understand that the fear associated with that risk is stopping them from achieving the destiny of their dreams.

When I was a boy my father repeatedly read a poem to me by Rudyard Kipling. That poem is always in the back of my mind. I think that was my father’s motivation. He ingrained the thoughts of “If” so deeply that they play over and over again in my head each time I get to that point where I am asked to take a risk or make an important decision.

There is one stanza in that poem that applies to every entrepreneur. It goes like this.

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breathe a word about your loss;
Think about that because it is exactly the attitude you need to be successful as an entrepreneur. It is on you. And you are the one who is going to take the risk. You are the one people will look to lead the way. I do recommend that you take the time to read the entire poem. And, yes, it applies to men and women in spite of the closing line.
Sadly too many of us stand on the sidelines of life and watch it go by. We are afraid to engage. The chance of losing, or looking the fool are too important to us. But the world belongs to the risk takers. The important things are accomplished by those who are willing to let the chips fall where they may.
Where do you fit in that scenario? Is there a dream you have that still remains unfulfilled? What have you done to make it a reality? What action have you taken? None! What’s holding you back?
These are the questions I go through on a regular basis with my coaching clients. And the answers to these questions all lie within them. My job is to help them answer those questions and motivate them to take the action they need to turn their goals into accomplishments.
Many times there is only one thing standing in the way of the next new invention, product or cure. Risk.