THE GOLDEN 3rd: RISKTAKERS.
by Jeff Staple
Risk is not only a part of running a business, but it’s also a part of everyday living. Running Staple, I often feel like a gambler sitting at a table tossing chips into the mix. I used to stress out about every single decision and possible repercussion. But then I learned to let it go. And good things started to happen. I just read an article in Wired that aligns the same thinking.
“Among our primitive ancestors, those who ventured farthest from their caves in search of better food or who overcame their fear of fire accrued significant advantages over their meeker kin. That’s why a lot of us like the idea of living on the edge: It’s in our DNA to take risks…Done artfully and wisely, living dangerously engages our intellect, advances society, and even makes us happier.
A 2005 German study concluded that people who take above-average risks have a higher-than-average index of life satisfaction. Researchers at the University of British Columbia found that among business managers in the US and Canada, those who take greater risks are the most successful. More risk, more reward—not to mention livelier cocktail-party conversation.
On a bell curve, the timid and the reckless are the outliers. The one-third who are slightly more likely to take risks I call “The Golden Third”.
It is possible to work consciously toward joining “The Golden Third”: Just get in there and start pitching. As with knife-throwing, unicycle-riding, and whip-handling, one gets better mainly by practice. Make your choices smart ones. It’s not difficult to discriminate between a good, soul-enriching risk and one that’s just plain nuts.
The most successful adventurers take the high road of risk-taking without falling off the mountain. They channel neither Evel Knievel nor Caspar Milquetoast, neither lion tamer nor monk. That’s the golden art of living dangerously.”
This way of living might not be for everyone, but there’s no other way for me.
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