Ask anyone who knows me and they'll probably tell you, growing up I was typically not the risk-taker in the group. Sure, I'll cheer on those brave enough to go skydiving, cliff-jumping, or waterskiing, and there's a slim chance I could be coaxed into trying one of those daring activities with the right amount of peer pressure and caffeine intake. But if I had the choice, I'd rather be kayaking on a peaceful river or flying in a commercial airline (I do love to fly!) as my "safe" level of risk. We are always managing some level of risk in life. Whether it's the "tiny" risk of whether or not to say hello or the bigger decisions like when to buy a house, quit a job, or start a business. I guess that's why Ben Carson's book titled Take the Risk jumped out at me while browsing the thrift store bookshelves. Side note: You should see my book problem. Stacks. And stacks. But that will soon be solved by living room built-ins, drawn on paper by yours truly and currently under construction by Papa! We'll be sure to show you soon! In his book, Carson shares the four questions he uses to weigh risk. It sort of works like a grid. They are: 1. What is the best thing that could happen if I do this? 2. What is the worst that could happen if I do this? 3. What is the best thing that could happen if I don't do this? 4. What is the worst that could happen if I don't do this? Answering those four questions can help you identify what the true risk is. Maybe the risk of a missed opportunity is greater than the risk of failing or not getting picked. Or maybe the risk is still too great, the boat isn't close enough to the dock to make the leap, and you need to put a plan in place with logical, practical steps to make that goal more achievable. Whatever risk you're considering, put it in the grid. Is it fear holding you back or are there real, legitimate cautions that need to be addressed? Carson also shares how his faith and values play a major role in how he evaluates risk. This is certainly true for Marcus and I as well. We didn't have this grid when making our decision to take Marken Media Co. full-time, but it's an easy real-life example to show how the grid works. 1. What is the best thing that could happen if we do this? We could fulfill our dream of working together, doing things we love to do, providing for our family, all while having the flexibility of being our own boss. We could help other small businesses grow and succeed by providing them the tools and services they need to do what they love. It would also serve to strengthen our faith as we stepped out trusting that God would continue to provide for our needs. 2. What is the worst that could happen if I do this? We could end up not serving enough clients to make enough to support ourselves and have to go back to "real jobs." We'd have to keep doing what we have to do in order to do the things we wanted to do. 3. What is the best thing that could happen if I don't do this? We would continue on as we had, just doing freelance on the side as we had time. Life would continue with the same level of predictability as it had before. 4. What is the worst that could happen if I don't do this? We would never know if we could have made it work. Part of us would probably always wonder "what if..." and the desire to do creative things and think outside the box would have still made us dreadfully discontent with the status quo. Carson says, "Teddy Roosevelt once declared, 'Far better is it to dare mighty things than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much.' His words resonate with me because all my life I've observed two groups of people who have made serious life-impacting mistakes with their approach to risk. "First are those who sadly are so afraid to take any risk that they never actually manage to do anything of true significance in their lives. Second are those individuals who take all the wrong risks and tragically end up hurting or destroying themselves or others in the process. ... They never discover or enjoy the true purpose for which God placed them on earth." Wow. There are consequences of lost opportunity if we don't calculate risk and take an informed, educated leap - as well as real-life consequences if we just blindly jump and hope for the best. For us, the risk of never knowing was greater than the risk of giving it our all and going for it. We are so thankful to God for his provision and that He gave us the courage to take the leap. By the way, I spotted a second copy of Carson's book at the Devine Hospice, so first one there can grab it for less than a dollar! Comments are closed.
|
AuthorKennan is wife to Marcus, the other half of Marken Media Co., and mom to Jaxson, Caden, and furry Reba. Archives
March 2019
|