October 2, 2014

Prompt: It was Erica Jong who said "If you don't risk anything, you risk even more". Write about what this means to you.

Ever since I was a small child, I've always been one to think about my decisions before I make them. So, I had always been bad about never taking any risks. I would prefer to take the safer route, even if it meant no chance of a future gain. I don't think of that as a bad thing necessarily. But if you don't at least risk something, there usually isn't a potential of any gain.

This past year, I've progressively become more of a risk taker. It started out pretty slowly. Just a little risk here and there. But now, it's much more often. I've come to realize that great things in life aren't always just handed to you. Not everything is black and white on what you should do. You just have to be smart enough to make the right decisions.

I'm really big into thinking that I have to have a plan for every detail of my life, that's how I've always been. I think that's what makes the idea of risk taking so difficult for me. I like things set in stone, no sudden changes. Especially nothing major enough that can extremely alter my future.

A month ago, I made a huge decision. It was sudden, completely out of the blue. A friend of mine suggested that I write a pros and cons list to help me make my final decision. There were more pros than cons, yet I went again the list. Something in my gut just told me that the paper wasn't right about what was the best for me. It was a huge risk, but I knew I needed to do what would make me happiest.

Today, I'm beyond elated that I had took that huge risk. I wouldn't have been nearly as happy if I hadn't. I think part of me knew that I would be risking more by not gambling with my decision. The jackpot was definitely worth it!