Remember: Never Stop Taking Risks

Life is a continuous journey in which we consistently find ourselves jumping from cliffs and hoping we make it into the water on the way down.

It’s a funny thing, risk.

We all handle it a little bit differently. There’s those of us who sit at the top and peer downwards as we meticulously plan every step of the journey that sits before us, hesitant to jump and hesitant to fall. There’s those of us who don’t even give it a second thought — we just leap and place all of our faith in things working out in our favor. There’s those of us who go for it, stop dead in our tracks, and try so intently to muster up the courage to make it happen. We’re all planners or leapers. Deliberate or meticulous. But we all leap.

We put ourselves out there. And the jump doesn’t always go well. Sometimes it’s full of regret. We leap and we flail through the air as we contemplate what the hell we just did. Why did we do that? What in the world did we just say? Immediate regret. But sometimes we land. Perfectly. And all of the fear was for nothing. We take a leap and it works. That’s the thing about risk: you never know how it’s going to end until it ends.

Put yourself out there. Leap. Often and deliberately. The water is cool and it’s calling your name. Will you flail? Helplessly and alone? The potential is certainly there. But you might just land, too. There’s no reward without a risk. Without a leap of faith. We can go through this journey of life complacent, peering down at the water before us and taking in the safe, comfortable view. Or we can go for it. All in.

Sometimes we have so many failed jumps that we forget how great it is when you actually land. Sometimes we stop jumping altogether. But one successful journey and we’re right back where we belong. A certain confidence instills in our soul and we find ourselves trying again.

You’re gonna crash land a time or 92. But I’ll take all 92 failed attempts for the one that works out. For the one time where you can safely look out at what sits before you and smile the greatest smile because you did it. It worked. And quite frankly, you deserve it.

Don’t stop jumping just because you hit a couple of rocks. Every sea is peculiarly different and there’s one that’s calling your name with the waves crashing on shore wondering just when you’ll grace it with your presence.

Try. Fail. Try again. The great thing about failure is that we all learn from it, regardless of the stupidity we feel and the despair we endure in the process.

Life is a giant game of risk — nothing more, nothing less.

Don’t forget to play.