It is the middle of the first month of a new year. After a relaxing; nature-driven short break I came back to the real world with more questions than answers. As a side note having no access to technology was one of the best parts of this break – so much so that I now leave my phone in other rooms and put it on its lowest volume. I love keeping in touch but spending real time with people is more fulfilling and a reminder of how precious life is.

And now back to the reason for this week’s post. Taking risks – it’s a new year and this means being provided with a fresh start and an excellent opportunity to live a life I am meant to live. I am currently reading a novel which points out that the start to living your life means taking risks and shifting out of your comfort zone. I agree to this except there is one problem. I am risk averse. Very. Generally decisions I previously made in my professional and personal life were thought through and the decisions were made as objectively as possible. So how does someone like me decide to take a risk and which risks? And what exactly constitutes as a risk? If a risk means doing something I normally would not do then I am not risk averse – I’ve moved cities; changed jobs and got married (for a commitment phobic this classifies as a risk)! So does a risk mean doing something without thinking it through or does it mean accepting the consequences, even if they are not good? According to the dictionary a risk is “the possibility that something bad or unpleasant will happen or someone or something that may cause something bad or unpleasant to happen or a person or thing that someone judges to be a good or bad choice for insurance, a loan etc.”

The decisions I listed earlier were made when change was needed and external factors played a role so in a way I may not have moved cities or changed jobs if those external factors did not occur. Maybe taking a risk in those instances meant having made those decisions prior to the external factors occurring and thus once again I’m back to being to being risk averse.

Personally I believe a risk means following your instinct even when the decision is against the norm and people try to convince you that it is not right. A risk means not necessarily having the support you would normally have; not having the safety net while you’re walking on the tight rope but walking it anyway. People would say you’re either brave or stupid but it does not matter because you know, deep down, you know that this risk is worth it. It’s what you need to do to make your dreams come true; it’s what you need to do to be happy; truly happy – not society happy but you-happy. You may lose people along the way and you may gain some but none of that matters because you know that the risk is what you need to do to live life. Fully.

This is the type of risk I want to take this year – to learn to follow my instinct and trust my gut and walk the tight rope without the safety net. Because at the end of the day I want to be able to say I am living my life fully.

What type of risks are you willing to take?