It seems to me that risk-taking was easy when I was very young.

When the speed limit was 70 mph & I was 16 years old, I'd drive to Houston at 85;
today, I usually drive about 2 or 3 miles *under* the speed limit.

Maybe it's easier when we're younger because we can't fathom that anything bad would happen.

As we bump along & learn what *can* happen, risk-taking gets scarier.

I used to feed some feral puppies on a lonely road;
today just remembering that I did it scares me!

I hope your risky venture works out fabulously!

There are lots of different kinds of risks, each of which may take a different skill to deal with. Emotional? Physical? Financial? Relationship? Legal? Social? et cetera.

Oftentimes people are comfortable with one or several kinds of risk but not with others. What do you have in mind?

It depends on what the risk is. Speak up about Jesus and defend His Name if need be? YES. Rescue someone or an animal in desperate need? Yes. Defend the defenseless? Yes. Skydive and things like that? No. When I was young and married to a pilot I flew with him while he did stunts in a small plane. Nowadays I won't even fly. At all.

snidely I don't have any particular risk in mind. I am musing on the idea of risk taking in general and how different it may be for any given person. As I stated I've learned a lot about myself in this latest venture, and am a little shocked to find that my emotional life is a lot more circumscribed than I thought; that is, stepping into the unknown is deeply unsettling. I don't like that about myself.

I wonder if the better question is how to grow in a healthy manner by stepping outside one's comfort zone at times.

A friend of mine in her 60s met someone online who in many ways is the exact opposite of her. Married within a couple months of meeting, moved across the country to his home--and it has worked out excellently. Another friend started a business which failed in a kind of spectacular way; she nevertheless survived and even considers it a good learning experience for her current work. An acquaintance in his 50s just literally "sold everything" to do volunteer missionary work in Africa. I admire these people and sometimes wonder how to build the confidence and fortitude to take such risks.

I can only think of two risks I have taken and that was marriages. No I don't take risks, I did not need them to get where I am going.

I guess so....I've taken huge professional risks, jumping headfirst into new endeavors without a net or parachute, lol. Each time, my choice turned out to be the right one if not the 'safe' one.

My Dad used to say that I was giving him sleepless nights....until he learned to trust my instincts. :-)

My last professional risk was to leave a secure position in academia for a one woman consulting business. Yikes!

I took a huge risk in my personal life, too. In '02, I married someone I met on line....in the GardenWeb (Tree Forum), to be exact. How's THAT for a risk, lol?

The thing is, I've never done a single thing that I lost sleep over. Maybe I'm not such a risk taker, after all.

In some aspects. I have moved alone several times. Once from California to Chicago at 18, then from Florida to Boston at 25 and from Boston back to California at 27. I left family and friends to find the next great adventure. It's not super risky but I don't know many people who would do it.

Financially I tend to be a risk taker. My investments are always on the higher risk end, especially retirement as I still have 30+ years till I can take it out so I am betting on that being enough time to recoup any loses. As I get older I will get more conservative.

But on the other hand, I won't fly unless it's an absolute emergency. I know the safety statistics and how it's basically the opposite of risky but I just can't do it! I also have no desire to do sky diving, scuba diving, zip lining, etc.

To me, risk taking is similar to gambling. I learned to play poker (with chips) before I was six. My father thought it would be good to learn how to risk things and either win or lose. AND, to accept the results if one loses.

I have been exposed to lots of risks during my year. Some were foolish and others had been well thought out, yet disastrous.

I find that as I age, my attitude toward risks has changed a bit. I can sit back and think through things better. I'll still take stoopid risks, but that is just me (the missus will agree on that!).

Some risks are considered small, like crossing the street against the light when there is lots of traffic. Others, such as starting a business might have different consequences.

Ah...consequences. What are you willing to undertake with consequences. We'll go back to learning to play poker. I learned that consequences, either big or small, are part of what you do.

I take risks now. However, I don't take as many stoopid ones that did 45 - 50 years ago.

Jim

I don't know about risks (my reaction was similar to Snidely's), but I do force myself out of my comfort zone every so often. I think that's a good thing to do, and it so far it has been a rewarding experience.

I took 4 major risks in my life, but maybe these were not 'risks' by some definitions.

1. I left how before my 18th birthday to attempt to gain a berth in an engineering training program sponsored by the Ordnance Weapons Command. I traveled over 400 miles from home by bus with only my suitcase and $150 in my pocket. If I did not win a placement, then I had to find a way back home or find a job in a strange city that would support me. But was that really a risk? For me, I had nothing to loose so why not try. If I won a spot, it meant hard work and a chance to earn a college education. If I lost, nothing really would have changed in my life.

That venture paid off and has served me well for the remainder of my working career.

2. As the engineering program wound down and threats of war subsided, I was approaching graduation and accepted a job offer that would remove me from the mentors I had had. I thought it was necessary for me to gain more exposure to commercial manufacturing methods and my place at the arsenal was not as urgent as it had been 6 years earlier.

For the first 4 years, I would have been better off money-wise to have stayed, but then I at last caught up and my fortunes becaem more upbeat.

3. I got married. I was one nervous Nelly when I asked my sweetheart to marry me. I had so many private questions such as am I making the right choice; can I afford it? Will we remain happy with each other? It was a big step and the largest unknown I have ever taken in my life. But then again, what was the alternative if I did not step forward and make a try.

That worked out! We celebrated our 54th anniversary this year.

These all were more like new adventures than risky behavior.

4. The one risky venture was to learn to ride a motorcycle and I went sport riding for many years. I did keep my costs low and I sold my motorcycle several years ago. I haven't missed it much and have replaced that activity with other things such as hunting for kin. Health, reflexes, and the desire to avoid a serious injury guided me to quit.

I took a risk when I left my husband; got a job outside of my comfort zone; moved to an area I was unfamiliar with; and have tried online dating.

Only thing that isn't working out is the online dating...lol.

The other things have been hard (still are) but each day I become a little more comfortable with myself.

SamKaren
your resident DJ

Not financially, I'm not. A few years back when the dot.coms were doing so well, Woody was working the stock market and making a ton of money every month. We actually considered taking out a mortgage on our paid-for home and using that money to invest. After starting the paperwork but having a few sleepless nights, we decided against going thru with it and canceled that plan. About 3 months later, the bottom dropped out of the market and we lost 1/2 of our portfolio. It's still not recovered completely.

SO glad we didn't risk and lose our house, too!

I believe Eleanor Roosevelt is credited with saying something like, "You must do the thing you (think you cannot do) (fear)."

I'm on the low-risks end of the spectrum. On one extreme end, I suppose, there are the people who never really 'grow up'. They dig a hole, crawl in, drag the hole in after them. They are afraid to *live*.

The other end would include people who court disaster. They're as afraid of life as the people at the other extreme. They just don't want to wait for the doom they fear and actively pursue it.

Maybe I'm back to one of my favorite statements: Live Your Life. It tells you to actively LIVE. It tells you that YOUR life is uniquely yours TO live. It reminds that a LIFE is finite.

A similar thought is contained in: Take what you want and pay for it. You can pay now, or you can pay later, but you will pay, so consider the *value* carefully. This doesn't mean to dither endlessly. The "Take" part is encouraging you to act -- just not mindlessly. Consider carefully, but when you make a decision, *commit* to it. (If you can't commit fully, it's not for you.)

In general, no......I guess people would say marriage is a big risk, yes, but I figured if it didn't work there still was a way out (divorce). Our daughter laughs about that but it kept me from being too scared...(still married, going on 45 years, first and only marriage for both of us)