“If you truly want to get unstuck, if you want to move to
higher ground or do something more worthwhile, the first question to ask is, ‘Am
I willing to be unreasonable, at least for a while?’”
It is hard for me to take risks. I like to follow the well-worn
path that others have taken, and it doesn’t require too much energy. Let’s face
it, I’m basically lazy.
But sometimes I decide to take a risk and do something
unreasonable.
When I decided to write a book, everyone worried that it
might be a scam. I took a chance and wrote it and it was a wonderful
experience. At the time, everyone worried that I was taking a big risk and
wasting my time.
I am in the middle of setting up an online course for
Furman. I had experienced friends who told me to stay away from doing this, but
I took the risk. I had never done this before, and I was curious. At least now
I will have the experience and if I decide to do this again if asked, I will be
able to make an informed decision.
When we are hiking, sometimes my husband will be curious to
see where an unknown path is going. I am a little skeptical about going
somewhere I don’t know but he is the adventurous one and we go on our new
adventure. Usually, it ends up somewhere wonderful.
This is a really hard concept for students because many
times they have faced so many failures when they try something new. I try to explain
to them that they should consider these situations as opportunities and not
failures. If they haven’t tried something new and taken a risk, they would not
grow as a person. They would never find out if they like something they haven’t
tried before. They might find something exciting that they love but would never
have known if they hadn’t tried.
Even if it feels a little unreasonable to try something new,
I think that if it doesn’t risk bodily harm or financial ruin, it is worth
trying if I want to do it.
How do you feel about taking risks? How do you get your
students to take risks? Please share.
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