Admittedly, I wasn’t planning to put a crazy amount of my inner thoughts out on the blog, but as it turns out, its not just what comes natural, but what people connected with. So I will talk about what has floated around in my head this week: Risks.
It is a hard thing to talk about normally, and I feel like that becomes especially true when you take risks and they turn out poorly. Its hard to admit, but a lot of times I find myself scared of taking some risks. Some a lot more than others.
From “Better to have loved and lost, then never have loved at all.” to “You miss 100% of shots you never take”. Flipping through century after century of history and literature you find it is filled with people talking about risks and when to take them. I guess its my time to take a stab at why it is so hard.
People let you down. Life gets in the way. People change. There are a lists of reasons to avoid them, but the fact is that risks provide an opportunity. They open a possibility that otherwise would be closed. Risks taken by choice, are ones that could lead to spectacular new choices in life. But not all risks are by choice. Some, are the risks that you face because you have to. And sometimes after you fight so hard to get clear of a forced risk, it is hard to make the choice to put yourself at risk again.
Once your heart tastes the bitter disappointment of an opportunity unrealized, a love lost, a friendship ended, or a dream killed- it is so difficult to convince it to go again. Ironically, I am in school to be a “Risk Specialist” which basically boils down to determining what risks are worth taking, what risks are detrimental, and who is “at-risk” because of their circumstances, ability, or choices. This makes it very hard to admit that risks these days scare me as much as they ever have. That being said, I find myself taking a few big ones of late.
I have made a lot of important decisions sitting with this view at Turkey Point, so I thought it fitting to put it here as I get around to the point of risks. Recently I have taken some steps. Fearful, overthought, difficult steps. And I think this is important to know when you are trying to decide on risks like adventure. So maybe this can serve as an inspiration. And if not, at least its out of my head.
I took some risks. They are, as I write, in an active search for reward.
For the first time in years, I have told a friend that I had their back. For a very long time, I had only a couple friends I could say that to. I was burned many times before, so putting that out to a new friend was a tough step.
I have drawn new boundaries. Put forward the realities of what I need. Redefining the rules of old relationships.
And finally, for the first time ever I have redefined what I want in life. This meant letting go of things I once thought I wanted and committing to something brand new. This is where this Adventure Blog comes back into focus.
Besides bearing my soul to people on the internet, I will wrap this back around to those needing the push for adventure. Risk is hard. It is even harder if you are taking it on your own. But the only answer to risk is resilience. Push hard. Be relentless. Be prepared for the waves of doubt. Be prepared to overthink. But more than anything, be prepared to take a risk in search of reward. There are things worth the risk. Take yours and you can check back in here to see if mine paid off. I’ll post even if they are a disaster. Thanks for sticking with me and good luck.
UnBEARable Adventures 
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