How you feel about risk?
We all have our unique comfort levels on the risk spectrum – from cautious to adventurous. Your place on this continuum affects your decisions.
When I think about risk, I think of it as a continuum that I call a Risk Line. How risk averse or risk seeking are you? On one end is risk averse, playing it safe, and on the other end are risk seekers, looking for adventure. Risk seekers push the limits for themselves physically, mentally, or financially.
There’s nothing wrong with being on any part of this continuum. What’s important to recognize is how you feel about risk. What alternatives in your decisions might mitigate your risk, making your ultimate choice more comfortable and successful.
When I was teaching, we would ask kids to stand on a Risk Line on the floor. As you might expect, many kids were more risk seeking. What was surprising were the number of kids who were more risk averse!
Sometimes families can have a risk averse parent with a risk seeking child or visa versa. Imagine a simple situation with a risk seeking parent and a risk averse child at the pool. The child is learning to swim and it’s enough of a stretch to dip their feet in at the stairs but the parent puts pressure on them to jump in because it’s no big deal.
To better understand yourself and those around you,
- Acknowledge where you are on the Risk Line
- Ask the people around where they are comfortable
Then you can start to have conversations about what’s comfortable, what feels like a little stretch, and where risk becomes overwhelming or anxiety producing.
Understanding where you stand on the Risk Line can support you in making your great decisions. And knowing each other’s perspectives on risk helps inform and create mutually-supportive shared decisions going forward.
Risk is just one aspect of what we teach. I’ve had a number of calls this week about people wanting to learn more about decision making.
We have an online class called the Decision Classroom – It’s self paced, video driven, and comes with a comprehensive workbook. E-mail me with any questions at amy@clarity4action.org. Here’s the link for more information:
As always, no one’s turned away for lack of funds. If the cost is a hardship for you, please reach out and we’ll figure out how we can support you.
Warm regards,
P.S. Don’t wait to get more of what you want out of life. Check out the Decision Classroom where you learn to create the life you want, through your next great decision. https://clarity4action.org/decision-classroom-enrollment/