Risk

Image courtesy of Ali Davies

Throughout our lives, we will take risks. Some will be bigger than others, but all risks can be scary. This is because taking a risk entails that something could be lost or hurt. Just the risk of jumping over a small gap in a hill can be terrifying. This is only because we know that we could get hurt. But not all risks are physical, a lot are emotional. Emotionally, we can still lose things and get hurt, I think we all know this by now. The other side of emotional risks is that there can be BIG payoffs. Yet, we are still afraid.

If there were never any risks in life, it would be pretty boring. Constantly getting exactly what you want with no worry sounds great, I'll give you that. Still, it would get a little monotonous. Having something hang in the balance can be exhilarating. Not having risks wouldn't only take away what we feel when we fail, but also take away how we feel when we do succeed. And even when we do fail, we can still be proud of ourselves for taking a chance. I have taken risks that haven't ended well, but I'm glad that I took them anyway. It shows that I really wanted something, that it was worth it. It also shows that I was strong enough to take a risk with the chance of getting hurt.

Image courtesy of Back West

Image courtesy of Cambridge University Contemporary Dance Workshop

Image courtesy of Pix Good

There are physical risks. Things like leaping across gaps, doing that barrel roll you couldn't do last dance class, swimming a 200 butterfly for the first time, tackling the biggest guy on the other team, and so many more. We each have our own physical risks that we have, and will, overcome. Different lives lead to different risks because of different activities we do. Any risk can be scary.

There are also emotional risks. Personally, these are scarier for me than physical risks. I think that they have more weight on your life. Scrapes or cuts, even broken bones, heal over time. Emotional wounds might not. They might affect your decisions later in life, days, weeks, maybe months or even years later. Emotions are interesting things. Memories with strong emotional connections are the ones we remember the most. This is because these have the most effect on our minds, they stick there. We remember them in times of need and if we are in a similar situation. The outcomes of those old memories will most likely effect the situation you are in right then.

The risks we take can be based on family, friends, sports, beliefs, or anything else that has effected you and your life. We will take risks in almost everything we do in life. It makes it interesting. Having something to lose can be terrifying, but also exhilarating because you have something to gain. Don't be afraid to take risks, they can be extremely worth it.