The One Where I Take A Chance On Me

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” is an old saying my Mom would recite to me when I was young. Yet, she was one to limit what I could do growing up.

I wanted to play football on the Junior High School Team. I was sturdy and pretty fast for my age so I wanted to be a running back. To which my Mother said “No, you will break an arm.” End of discussion.

My Dad thought I was too young to ask Kathie to marry me. I had barely graduated high school but, I know what I wanted.

Almost forty years of marriage and we have done alright so far.

Often it is not that you shouldn’t take a change but that you should take calculated risks. In economics and business, they call it a cost/benefit analysis.

Risk is neither inherently bad nor inherently good. Risk is just risk. There are big risks and little risks. Smart risks and stupid risks. The Lesser Self strives to play it safe, at all times. My Heroic Self, though, looks for opportunities where the ROR: Return on Risk is disproportionate to the calculated risk required.

And I’ll take a chance on me every time.