Playing it safe is comfortable. Playing it safe is easy. Doing what you’ve always done is both comfortable and easy.
Being comfortable and doing what’s easy are also the fastest way to have less of everything in your life than you deserve.
Almost every person on earth wants to be “better” tomorrow than they are today. Everyone defines “better” a little differently but for everyone tomorrow’s “better” means different than today. So for anything to be better tomorrow something must change today.
Change often comes with risk and most people don’t particularly like either one. So they hope for something different while lamenting the sameness of their every day life.
I’m okay with hoping but change doesn’t come from hope. “Better” doesn’t come from hope. Change for the better only comes from action. If you’re not willing to act then hope all you want but don’t expect to have anything better tomorrow than you have today.
You must be willing to accept the risk that comes with trying something new if you’re going to do more than just hope for something better. You must be willing to accept some risk in your life if you want something or someone new in your life.
Don’t stop hoping but add action to your hope. Having better requires doing better. Having more requires doing more. Your dreams won’t come true unless YOU make them come true.
Hope by itself is not the answer to any shortcomings you may have in your life or business. If you’re not eating your meals at the table of risk then you’re dreams are almost certainly on the menu.
Someone else’s menu.
Either accept some risks and take action to achieve your goals or you will find yourself being hired by someone else to help them take risks to achieve theirs. It will be one or the other…it is always one or the other.
Which one do you think is more rewarding?
Don’t sit in the comfortable chair at the table of safe. Move to the table of risk and give yourself a real chance at “better.” Pick the small table at first if that helps you make progress just make sure it is not too small to lead to success.
Remember, it’s by risking nothing that you actually risk everything!
Reblogged this on Gr8fullsoul.
Great post and reminder. The blame game is a big part of this too. We feel like someone or something is keeping us from getting “better” and then we whine and complain instead of taking action. We deflect away from our own fear of risk to complain about the obstacles keeping us from a risk-less improvement. Great stuff. Thanks. I needed this today. Mike…
Thanks Mike. I love the blame game, it keeps me from having to accept responsibility for my own limitations. The only problem with it is that it also keeps me from learning and growing. On the days I don’t play I actually get better, on the days I do play I waste a lot of opportunity. Good thing I don’t play it as much as I used to. 🙂
Steve this is something everyone should read. I am already sharing it. Is the title supposed to be “What table ARE you sitting at?”
Thank Dan, and YES, the title should be ARE you sitting at. I’ve fixed it already…. geez, a typo in the title, it doesn’t get much worse than that. 🙂 Thanks for catching it!!!
It certainly didn’t stop me. Again great post that should push more folks to really determine what they want and then go after it!
So true. Nothing worse than hearing ‘we’ve always done it this way’. Taking risk does not mean being reckless. Calculated risk, and do not be afraid of mistakes, so long as they are done out of good intent. This is how we learn and develop …. and become better.
I absolutely agree! If you’re not making mistakes then it’s likely you’re also not trying anything new. If you’re not trying anything new then it’s likely you’re not trying to get better either.