If you look at the world’s most successful businesspeople, none of them play it safe.
If you look at the people at the top of your profession, none of them play it safe.
However, if you look at the hundreds of millions of people who live uninspiring, average lives, all of them play it safe.
Risk, creators and consumers
In their quest for the good life, successful people learn to embrace risk. They know that the only job security is when you are your own boss, so they risk it and build a business. They tend not to waste their lives watching reality TV; because their own reality is compelling. They prefer to meet with friends in the evenings, chew over their plans or develop their ideas. They get it. They are the creators.
In the quest for security, the masses choose not to risk anything. They don’t want to leave the security of a salaried job, even though as an employee, their job is never secure and their destiny is always out of their control. They let their boss take the risks. They console themselves with a brainwashing kit: A 5 foot TV and a diet of TV shows. They are happier to watch the risk takers, who live on the other side of their TV screen. They are the consumers.
The paradox?
The real kicker here, is that the person trying to avoid the risks, is actually playing a far riskier game. They are constantly under threat of unemployment. Their boss can fire them, their boss can sell the business, their boss can go broke. All this is out of their control and can happen tomorrow. Zero security.
Maybe the most valuable lesson anyone can teach a teenager, is to embrace smart risks. If something looks like a great potential idea, do the research and if it seems to stack up, try it! It’s the least risky option and leads to a life worth living.