Too scared of taking that risk you really want to? Don't be afraid of losing everything

Many times, we do not take a risk because we are afraid of losing what we have. Perhaps you dream of starting a business, or of quitting the conventional path of studying at university to become a street performer. Maybe you feel trapped in your situation because you have bills to pay, or children to feed. Of course, if you are a parent, you are responsible for your children, and must never put them in harm’s way, but just for this moment, imagine you lost everything. Your job, your house, your possessions. What would you do? What can you do? Would you die straight away? No! Of course not. If you live in a developed country, you are lucky. There are so many charities you could go to to ask for help. Alternatively, maybe you have friends or family that would shelter you and feed you until you get back on your feet again. Maybe people from your community or religion would take you in. And if not, maybe you need to reconsider the priorities in your life. Why do you not have any friends or family that would help you in time of need? Do you not take good enough care of them? Are you too arrogant to ask for help? Too proud of your achievements and of yourself? 

     Of course losing everything would be a traumatic event, a life changing one, but it would not be the end of your life. There are always options, always ways forward, always people to connect with, always people to cry with. What you need to fear is not losing everything, but of not moving forwards, of being stuck as the same person you are. Every experience will teach you something, every experience has joys and sorrows. It is all the same. Humans are strong and resilient. It is only our worrying minds that make us think otherwise.

Just as a note:

Although you should not be afraid of losing everything, that does not mean you should be irresponsible and lazy. If you have nothing left, don't make your situation worse by taking out large loans. You have to be willing to adapt and change your lifestyle to match your new situation. You should also recognise that this would only be a temporary state which you will work your way out of, rather than a failure that you will dwell in for years and years because you cannot be strong enough to pick yourself back up again.

Your turn!

• What is something you would like to start, but are too scared of trying? The consequences may not be that you lose all of your possessions, but your reputation or your ego. Instead of worrying and catastrophising and never starting, take a moment to really consider: what is the worst possible thing that could happen to you? Then, imagine that that thing does happen to you. What would you do in that situation? You might be pleasantly surprised to find that you already have a solution for your hypothetical extreme failure scenario! Now that you have a solution for the absolute worst case scenario, what is stopping you from trying!?