When I was 8 years old, my mother took me to the Bay. Now I was a bit of a handful as a child, and my mother, though patient, justifiably lost her cool on this day. We were walking by one of those spinning sunglasses stands and since mothers know their children like no one else, she looked at me immediately after I saw the stand, and said “Do NOT touch that stand!” Have you ever watched Wheel of Fortune? Well I had, and it looked like a fun game show. So when my mother turned her back, as if Pat Sajak himself was daring me to “spin the wheel”, I grabbed that stand and spun it as hard as I could. Result? Sunglasses EVERYWHERE!
You know that look of intensity a Lion gives a Gazelle before pouncing for the kill? Well that was my mother that day. She only spanked me twice in my life, and looking back I knew I definitely deserved this one. Besides the obvious listen to mom lesson, I learned 2 things that day: Firstly, that there are A LOT of sunglasses on those stands, and you can take them all off at once. And secondly, sometimes you have to take risks to see results. Yes the results were negative that day, but at least I learned something…isn’t that the way life goes as well? When you take risks, the results are not always positive, but you never learn if you don’t take the chance.
We live in a world of oxymoronic cliches. We are told to “Look before we Leap” then someone else says “Jump with both feet in”. A well meaning person says “Be careful what you say” then another says “You don’t know if you don’t ask”. Author Arin Reeves lists some more on her blog:
- Knowledge is Power vs Ignorance is Bliss
- You can’t teach an old dog new tricks vs You’re never too old to learn
- Better safe than sorry vs Nothing ventured, nothing gained
- Good things come to those who wait vs The early bird gets the worm
The point here is that we’re told to “Play it Safe”, but we learn NOTHING in life that way. Not anything worthwhile or important anyways. By spinning that sunglass case, sure I learned what a sore butt felt like, but I took a chance. Something I may have done TOO MUCH when I was young, but something that most people do TOO LITTLE when they get older. Surveys done amongst seniors reveal that their number one regret is that they did not take more chances in life. There have been far too many times that I’ve taken the path of least resistance, but the best results I have ever experienced have come when I’ve taken a chance.
When you take risks and try new things, it doesn’t always mean it’s going to work out for the best, but as my mother has said before, you don’t know if you don’t try. It doesn’t have to be earth shattering. You don’t have to quit your job and travel to Africa. But ask yourself – what can I try that I have thought about doing before but never bothered. Do you want to learn a Language? Buy a program and learn it. Do you want to play an instrument? Sign up TONIGHT and take a course. Do you want to be a better communicator? Join an improv class at your community centre. You want to feel better about the life you take for granted? Volunteer somewhere. Don’t want to do any of these things? All good. But find something different you can do tomorrow. LuLu Lemon has a quote on their shopping bags – “Do something every day that scares you.” It doesn’t have to be everyday, but look for something. It doesn’t have to change the world, but trying new things will Change YOU.
Remember: No Risk, No Reward.
Now that’s a cliche to follow.
Kwesi
