There are two types of risks: imposed risks that are outside of our control, and chosen risks that we deliberately take. While risks can cause anxiety, not taking risks can lead to regret. Facing the "worst case scenario" of a risk shows that the probability of it occurring is often low, less than 50%. Learning to handle feelings of failure helps make risk-taking a skill that enriches life rather than a scary experience. Next steps involve learning to structure risks so they feel less risky.

1. Why take a risk?
Some people take risks more readily than other people. And
risks can be a little scary, whether they involve making a major
career change and/or cross-country move, asking for a
promotion or a raise, declaring your affection to someone else
when you’re not sure how that person feels, or when it
necessitates speaking up to someone whose behavior has been
making you unhappy. Risks come in all sizes and shapes.
The first thing to remember is that it is impossible to
avoid risks - life is full of them.
First of all, there are Imposed risks: things that happen to us
that we can’t avoid – floods and tornadoes come to mind –
with the possibility of leaving you feeling helpless and
victimized, as do financial disasters, broken relationships, and
any situation you can’t control.
That sense of a loss of control is what makes stress so stressful – in fact it is the key factor in
determining whether we view an event as stress or as a challenge.
Then there are Chosen risks: Actions you deliberately take to get something you want or to get
away from something you don’t want. With a chosen risk, there is always the possibility of
embarrassment, failure and loss.
Why would anyone choose to take a risk when it may be accompanied by lots of anxiety?
It can result in a rich reward and – think of this, you will never know whether you could have gotten
what you wanted if you never try. Even if the outcome isn’t exactly what you want, the long term
consequence of that risk-taking act can be positive because you become more resilient and able to
deal with imposed risks more easily.
Do you feel safer when you don’t take a risk? Research indicates that, at the end of their lives,
people don’t worry about what they have done. They worry about what they have not done. As
John Greenleaf Whittier said, “For all sad words of tongue and pen, the saddest are these, “It might
have been.”
Here’s a little exercise to get you started:
Think of a risk you would like to take. What is the worst thing that could happen?
This is called the “worst case scenario.” Why would you want to think of that?
Because it is the bogeyman that is keeping you from even thinking deeply about taking the
risk. Facing it is necessary if you want to move forward.

2. On a scale of 0 to 100, what is the probability the worst will happen? Take a minute to think about
this. You may find, to your surprise, that the probability isn’t really all that high, but you have been
acting as if it is 100%.
If the probability is less than 50% that it will turn out badly, you are in a good position to go
ahead. It is probably a lot less than 50%.
Finally, can you handle the feelings, or are you undermining yourself by saying, “it will be
soawful if this doesn’t work out?” Will it really, or are you being dramatic?
Risk-taking doesn’t have to be scary or dramatic; it’s a skill, and it can be learned and practiced,
just like any other skill you might want to acquire in order to enrich your life.
Next week, we will look at how to set up a risk so it is not so risky at all.
Lynette Crane, M.A.(Psychology) and Certified Life Coach,is a Minneapolis-based speaker, writer,
and coach. She has more than 30 years' experience in the field of stress management. She currently
works to provide stress and time pressure solutions to harried women, those women who seek
"Islands of Peace" in their overly-busy lives. Her talks to groups of what she calls "harried women"
are receiving rave reviews. Visit her website at http://www.creativelifechanges.com/ to see more
in-depth articles and to view her programs.