O_Y_UK_2015_05_

om spirit

A

ll of us have fears, especially

when it comes to taking

risks in our professional and

personal lives. In fact, it’s been

said that the word ‘fear’ itself

stands for ‘Forget Everything And Run’ which

is a logical reaction given that, by definition,

risk is ‘the possibility of suffering harm or

loss’, and involves ‘uncertain danger’.

But, amid the vast upside possibilities, I

prefer to reject the negative connotations

associated with risk and the debilitating

aversion to ‘learning the hard way’. People

actually learn best by feeling the result of

their actions, whether that result is positive

or negative. Indeed, our most powerful

knowledge base comes from taking small

and large risks in life, and experiencing the

consequences – the good, the bad and the

ugly. So many are understandably fearful

of getting out of their comfort zone and

taking those barrier-busting leaps of faith.

However, for me, the word ‘risk’ evokes a

sense of excitement. Of limitless possibility.

It reminds me of the famously insightful

notion to ‘go out on a limb, because that’s

where the fruit is’. Truer words cannot be

spoken as risk is the pre-eminent propelling

force that helps companies and individuals,

alike, accelerate and achieve key success

benchmarks. Here are four pieces of

wisdom to help you foil your fear of risk and

supercharge positive change in your life.

Leap

of faith

Four ways to foil your fear of risk. By Andy Thompson