If you take any online quiz, whether it’s to find out what kind of bread you are or a more important sort of revelation, it’s likely that you’ll be asked this question:

‘Do you take risks?’

     For most of my life, I’ve always had to think about it before answering. Sure, I’m willing to get inside a car on the freeway, and I got the Covid vaccine as soon as it was available, but I’m also not willing to smoke or drink. I won’t get inside a speeding car, and I’d definitely never shoplift, but I’ve spent hundreds on the stock market. So, what does that make me?

     There are two forms of risks: ones with high payoffs, and ones without. For instance, if I was to drink heavily around others, I’d run the risk of making a fool of myself. The payoff would be temporary enjoyment, with repercussions afterward at least in the form of a killer hangover. Personally, I don’t drink because I don’t feel that the emotional payoff is enough. 

     Risks with high payoffs are ones that I can recover from if they fail, but stand to earn me something besides just emotions or social standing. For instance, I invested hundreds of hours into writing my first novel when I was eighteen, since if it didn’t do well, I could just delete it off the internet. However, if it went well, I could build a career from it. Since it’s only been half a year since publishing I can’t say the career has come about yet…but I’m steadily seeing progress. There was a low risk, since I would be improving my writing and doing what I love during the process, but potential high reward, so I took the risk. 

     Too often, we tend to view risks as the pursuit of, quite frankly, stupid endevours. We view the skateboarder on the freeway as a risk taker, while considering people who hesitate to go out to the club the wet blankets. Risks are worthwhile if they can contribute to something greater if they work out, while also leaving the risk taker with life and limb if it fails.

     I’m starting a clothing business in the next few months that I’ve already invested hundreds of dollars into. However, I did my research and continue to do so while steadily going through a checklist of what I should do before opening. This is a calculated risk that has a payoff with no ceiling, which makes it worth pursuing. Now, if I had done this without doing any research whatsoever, that would change this into a dangerous risk. 

     In the end, risks are a part of life. However, knowing the differences between types of risks can help you analyze whether it’s worth taking them. Don’t let somebody talk you into a risk without considering your options, it doesn’t make life more dull to consider the consequences before stepping into traffic. 

As always, thanks for reading! What’s a risk that you’re happy that you took? Feel free to share in the comments!