Risk-taking is at the heart of making a difference, but often we’ve been conditioned to avoid risk as much as possible. So, we asked some successful risk-takers to talk to us about how they developed their comfort with taking risk.
Al Chang
Taking risks is never easy. Your brain urges you to turn back, especially when you can’t see what’s ahead. It never truly gets easier, but each new challenge doesn’t seem as daunting as the last. One reason why facing risks becomes more manageable is having a great team and a support system. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to be surrounded by people willing to dive in headfirst. Read more>>
Nandu Vivekananda
So, picture this: a wannabe actor from New York trying to break into the movie biz. Yep, that’s me! I’ve been living and breathing acting for the past 3 years, dabbling in a few short films in India and taking on some projects here and there. It’s all a blur of passion, work, and hobbies – they all blend seamlessly. Read more>>
Denise Marra
I luckily have support from my parents. I know that if it comes to me ever failing, my parents will always back me up. I also don’t feel like taking a risk is ever a failure, it’s a learning experience. Read more>>
Brianna O’Connell
In my previous career, I was a first grade teacher. I absolutely loved it and thought I’d teach first grade until I retired! Then in March 2020 I had my first baby. When I returned to teaching in the fall, I had some catching up to do because all my colleagues had already been teaching virtually the previous spring. I was completely unprepared for the challenges I would face. Read more>>
Jordan Adams
Since a young age, I’ve always been more on the reserved side—quiet and somewhat shy around strangers. However, those who know me well would describe me as an extroverted introvert; once engaged in conversation, I can talk for hours. Yet, my social energy has a limit, and I often find myself ready to recharge after a long day. Read more>>
Jess Bowers
I grew up riding horses. That’s it! That’s all! Seriously, though. There’s a common saying in the eventing world: “Throw your heart over the fence, and the horse will follow.” Translated, this means that if you’re galloping up to, say, a fence decorated to look like Shamu from SeaWorld, you can’t lose your nerve, no matter how freaky it looks. Read more>>
Matt Smiley
For as long as I can remember, I’ve always been drawn to the idea of risk. No risk, no reward. I can trace my ability to take risks back to my early teens when I was starting to transition into a more professional realm of downhill ski racing. Read more>>
Ko Jo
I developed my ability to take risk when I realized the importance of making a change if I wanted to make a difference. A lot of people get stuck in a certain place in life because they are afraid of doing something different. They are afraid of going somewhere different. Read more>>
Hayley McGinley
My risk-taking dates back to my childhood when I spent my days climbing trees, building forts outside with my sister made out of sticks and mud and whatever else we could find, riding our bikes down to the Kankakee River to play and explore underneath the bridge and getting into any other manner of mischief. Read more>>
Jesica Montgomery
Taking a risk just seems like second nature to me at this point in life. I can remember always having big aspirations and dreaming of different ways to make them work. For example, when I was in 6th grade, I went to my teachers with the idea of a student led newspaper. Read more>>
Peter Croce
I have a higher tolerance for risk than many of my peers. I didn’t know this until recently, but this seems true when looking back on my 34 years of life. The thing is, I don’t feel like it’s risk for risk’s sake. It’s calculated, and my confidence to take risks grows little by little. Read more>>
Shonae Jones
My ability to take risk comes from knowing that life is entirely too short to not at least try to do the things I want to do . Fea and doubt are real but so is my ability to figure out how to accomplish something. Read more>>
Chris Tatge
It’s a skill right? So just like any skill, the best way to learn is practice. I was self employed at 20 years and I’ve had a lot of practice. I think most entrepreneurs have or develop an ability to almost suspend reality in their minds. Read more>>
Faith Adiele
It’s always surprising to me that people talk about me as a risk-taker, someone brave. Because, physically, I’m pretty risk-adverse. I’m an avid traveler, but I’m not the one bungie-jumping off a cliff over a yawning chasm. Rather, I’m the one moving alone to the Golden Triangle at age 16. The one shaving my head, taking a vow of silence, and living in a forest hut as Thailand’s first Black Buddhist nun. Read more>>
Cord Weiss
Being a risk-taker has always been a part of my personality. I’ve played in touring bands practically living in a van; moved across the country without a final destination in mind; and proposed to my wife of over 20 years now after only dating for 3 months. Read more>>
Ayad Mirjan
Taking risks might seem like second nature to me now, but it wasn’t always that way. Growing up in Baghdad during a time of war, just staying alive was a gamble every day. That instilled in me a deep sense of resilience from a young age. I also witnessed my father, a business owner, constantly adapting to a volatile environment. Read more>>
Janina Washington
Hi, my name is Janina Washington, founder of Evoken Studio in West Hollywood. We offer Reformer Pilates classes seven days a week, alongside mat Pilates classes upstairs, yoga, meditation, sound baths, and breathwork events. Read more>>
Subha Lembach
I developed my ability to take risks through the following five principles. 1. Using failure as a learning opportunity: I have never failed and never not gotten something out of it. When I have seized a new opportunity or taken a new risk, even when they have gone in a completely different direction than what I expected, I have learned and grown. Every failure serves a purpose, even if it sometimes takes longer to see that purpose. Read more>>
