How To Manage Taking Professional Risks
I read somewhere that peace lies in “Taking the action and letting go of the outcome”. But, isn’t that hard? How can you not mind where your action leads? But equally, might this ‘letting go’ also the best way to take any professional risk?
Managing Professional Risk
The only way to grow professionally, in salary, status and opportunities, is to take risks. We need to ask for the seemingly unobtainable, we need to apply ourselves to the apparently unachievable, we need to step right into the unknown, even if it is inch by inch, into the darkness. Each time I do this I sure am attached to the outcome because potential failure terrifies me. Potential success also terrifies me because there are responsibilities and consequence inherent in a successful outcome too….
What I believe that we need also to take several professional risks at a time. I have noticed that when I take only one (terrifying, exhausting, exhilarating!), risk, I am then entirely engaged with the outcome.
“multiply the number of risks you take, until both success and failure become normal, and your resilience grows”
When I am consistently risking in a number of differing directions, then I can better detach from the end result of each. This way each risk is held in balance by all the others. If one fails, I still have other options. It is when I have one Big Risk then I entirely over identify with that process. I can take myself on the biggest journey whilst I trigger all my emotions and my fight or flight responses. I end up exhausted whether my plan succeeds or fails…. And, depleted is not the best way to begin any new project!
So the two ways I can see of managing risk aversion are: Firstly, to multiply the number of risks you take, until both success and failure become normal, and your resilience grows. Or secondly, you can take no risks at all…. which will inevitably result in precisely nothing in return. It’s your choice. Just sayin……