Take the Risk: Learning to Identify,
Choose, and Live with Acceptable
Risk by Ben Carson M.D.
I Even Got My Husband To Listen To It And He Loved It Too!
You can find our culture’s obsession with avoiding risk everywhere, from
multiple insurance policies to crash-tested vehicles. But is ducking risk the
most productive way for us to live? Surgeon and author Dr. Ben Carson,
who faces risk on a daily basis, offers an inspiring message on how
accepting risk can lead us to a higher purpose.
Personal Review: Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose,
and Live with Acceptable Risk by Ben Carson M.D.
What happens to a society that is so fearful of risk, that common sense
seems to go right out the window so often? The answer is that we live in a
world where McDonald's has to put "Warning: Coffee is hot" on its coffee
cups to head off silly lawsuits. And beach-goers drive hundreds of miles to
get to the beach -- only to avoid swimming in the ocean because of an

irrational fear of sharks [when in fact you're statistically far more likely to be
killed in a car accident while driving to and from that same beach].
More importantly, society in general, and individuals in particular, miss out
on opportunities to do the types of great things that only come from taking
calculated risks. That's primary thrust of the book by Dr. Ben Carson - the
famous pediatric neurosurgeon at John Hopkins Medical Institutions in
Baltimore.
If you've read any of his previous books (such as "Gifted Hands"), you
probably already have a good idea of his rough background being raised
by a poor, single mother in the ghettos of Detroit. And indeed, Dr. Carson
does go over much of his past in this book, as well as how he overcame
adversity and low expectations, to become the world-famous
neurosurgeon he is today. However, in this book, he looks back at his past
decisions in life through the prism of the risks he took -- and how they often
paid off.
I highly recommend this book as a concise guide on how to arrive at good
decisions using risk analysis as a primary tool. The main idea behind this
book is that despite our best efforts, life is itself risky -- to wit, it is virtually
impossible to eliminate all risk in life.
However, we can choose to realize that not all risks are necessarily bad,
and that the secret to living life fully is by choosing to take acceptable risks.
And quite often, these risks can yield incredible rewards.
Dr. Carson provides a matrix for determining what risk is acceptable, called
"Best/Worst Analysis." Specifically, by answering the following questions
in an informed way, it will be vastly easier to handle risk and make
informed decisions:
- What is the best thing that can happen if I do this?
- What is the worst thing that can happen if I do this?
- What is the best thing that can happen if I don't do this?
- What is the worst thing that can happen if I don't this?
Dr. Carson then proceeds to show how he has applied this type of risk
analysis in his life, with very positive results. He also provides anecdotal
evidence for how this means of decision-making can also lead to creative
and innovative solutions to long-standing problems in our own lives and in
government.
I should note that Dr. Carson's book also is infused with a spiritual
perspective that comes from his Christian background -- which I definitely
appreciate. That said, I think that his book "Take the Risk" is one of the
most refreshing and helpful books I've read thus far on the important topics
of risk analysis and decision-making.

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