While you can be perfectly content living life in your comfort zone, you can truly transform it if you learn to step out of that comfort zone and take more risks. Life and all of its possibilities begin to open up when you embrace discomfort and take more chances. What’s the benefit of taking risks? Well, it’s been said that you should take the risk or lose the chance, and there’s a lot of truth in that.
If you remain on the sidelines, where you’re comfortable, you miss out on a lot of opportunities.
How do you begin to take more risks? To embrace discomfort? At first, it might feel scary to try something new or take a chance on the unknown. Over time, though, and with practice, you can develop your risk-taking muscle. Read on to learn how to do just that!
The benefits when you decide to take the risk and not lose the chance!
Are you stuck in a rut? Do you feel an itch that there’s something more out there for you, if only you made some changes?
Taking more risks is one of the best ways to shake up all areas of your life, from your career to your love life to everything in between. There are so many benefits to embracing discomfort. These are just a few:
Opens your eyes to new possibilities
Think back to the last time you took a risk. Maybe you moved to a new city and met an entirely new crowd of people you would never have met had you stayed where you were. Perhaps you embraced discomfort and took the lead role on a project at work that helped you develop a new skillset.
The coolest thing about taking a risk is that so many new possibilities stem from that one decision. Remember, take the risk or lose the chance at discovering something new and wonderful!
Builds your confidence
One of the best ways to build up your confidence is to try new things. Confidence has been described as a muscle – you must not only develop it but continue to exercise it. How do you work out and build up your confidence?
By getting out of your comfort zone and taking more risks. When you have more self-confidence, you’ll find that you’ll be even more willing to put yourself out there and go for whatever you desire.
Stretches you and helps you grow
That home renovation project you’ve been wanting to do? Well, you could outsource it. Or, you could give it a shot and try it yourself. Risk-taking isn’t all about doing daring, scary things.
It’s about getting you out of your comfort zone and learning new things in all areas of your life. When you embrace discomfort of any kind, your mind stretches, you learn new skills, and you grow as a person.
Learn to take calculated risks and embrace discomfort
Risk-taking is scary, especially if you aren’t used to it. That’s why it’s so important to understand that this is about taking calculated risks, not about throwing all caution to the wind.
Not only should you take calculated risks, not reckless ones, but you should also be prepared to embrace some uncomfortable feelings and results that surface when you start taking more risks.
What are calculated risks?
Calculated risks are those taken after considering the risks and rewards of the potential action. Investing is a great example of a calculated risk.
While there is always the chance that you will lose money, if you look at the facts, weigh the pros and cons, you can make an educated decision about whether or not to invest. You may decide to take the risk because of the likelihood, though not a guarantee, that your money will grow over time.
Embrace discomfort
Part of learning how to take more risks is embracing uncomfortable feelings and results, such as uncertainty, failure, and making mistakes. These are all part of risk-taking. You’re never going to be right 100% of the time, but you have to take the risk or lose the chance.
Take the risk or lose the chance: How to start taking more risks
Are you ready to embrace discomfort and begin taking more risks in life? Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to shaking things up and opening yourself up to a whole new world of possibilities:
1. Start small
Like with so many other things in life, one of the best ways to dip your toe in the waters of risk-taking is by starting small. Just like adding a small amount to your emergency fund every month will add up over time, so will adding a little bit of risk into your life.
For example, if you want to change careers, that might sound like a huge risk to you! It can also feel super overwhelming. You can start by thinking about what small steps you can take to move toward that goal.
Perhaps you can start taking on new projects at work, networking on LinkedIn, or researching graduate school programs. All of these are little steps on your way to taking that big leap.
Another tip is to practice taking risks with people you are comfortable with, like your friends or family members, instead of your boss. Soon, you’ll be comfortable enough to take a big risk and ask for that raise you know you deserve.
2. Share your goals and dreams with the right people
Some of us are more risk-averse than others. That’s totally ok! But if you’re struggling with taking more risks, the last thing you want to do is share your plans with someone who will shoot them down and declare them too risky.
Make sure the people you surround yourself with are cheering you on and not squashing your ideas. For example, let’s say you are looking to leave your full-time job and go all-in on your side hustle.
If your mom is worried sick about you and is constantly asking you how you’ll afford your rent, and what will you do about health insurance, she might not be the best person to confide in. When you’re about to take a risk, surround yourself with those who will support you, not crush you.
3. Assess what’s holding you back
When you are contemplating whether to take the risk or lose the chance, assess what is holding you back. If you’re feeling stuck, know that you want to take on more risk, but aren’t quite ready for it, it’s time to dig deep and figure out what’s holding you back. One of the best ways to do this is through journaling.
First, write down what you want or what it is you’d like to do but are stuck on. Then, ask yourself why you want that. Journal about your emotions to get to the root of what is stopping you. Don’t be afraid to embrace your fears.
A pro and con list is always helpful to get the facts straight and help you see things more clearly. Once you’ve figured out what the obstacles are, you’ll likely see that they are not as massive as you thought they were and that there’s at least one step you can take, today, to move forward.
4. Practice, practice, practice!
Practice might not make perfect, but it sure does help when it comes to learning how to take more risks. As you take more risks, you’ll become more comfortable with the results, which are not always what you expect them to be. Embrace discomfort over and over, and soon you’ll be a pro at it!
5. Trust your gut and take the leap
Lastly, there’s something to be said about listening to your gut. Your instincts are powerful when it comes to making decisions and taking risks.
If you have the inkling that there’s something good on the other side of a risk, trust those instincts and go for it. Whatever is on the other side of that leap could be life-changing, why not give it a shot?
Take the risk so you don't lose the chance!
Hopefully, you’ve seen that the benefits of risk-taking are endless and that it’s not that hard to start taking more chances. You’ll never know what kind of life awaits you unless you take some risks. The best news? There’s no better day than today to take the risk or lose the chance!