Take a Risk

I am watching my great nephew navigate his first roll-over. As I am writing this, he has done it twice in 15 minutes – a sure sign that he realized the impact he had on the whoosh of movement that left him, head facing at the ceiling, with a silly grin on his little face. I applaud his success with coos and smiles, reassuring him that the risk and effort was worth the result, but I think his feeling of mastery over his environment was truly reward enough.

As we get older it seems we have more to protect, making even simple risks seem much greater. We protect our persona in the world; the one we have developed over the years; the way we see ourselves and the way we want others to see us.

We become sensitive not just to the risk of trying something new, but also to the risk of losing something gained. But it is taking that risk, stepping into a new experience that helps us to learn and grow.

That’s probably why I loved the Valentine’s Day card that came in the mail from Mason, Black & Caballero P.A. law partners (and some of our Athena sisters) last month. It was a fun, light reminder to step out and get the most out of life. Borrowing a William Purkey quote, it reminded us to “dance like there’s nobody watching / Love like you’ll never be hurt, / Sing like there’s nobody listening, / And live like it’s heaven on earth.”

It reminds us that without taking risks, we risk losing the growth that new experiences bring. Like my great nephew we’ve got to take a risk to get the exhilarating whoosh of being in a new position with a new view of the world.

Here’s to us, taking risks!