Risking it all

“Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem to be more afraid of life than death.” – James F. Bymes

I don’t have any idea who this author is or what he was famous for other than good quotes. But I quite like this one. It seems to put an ordinary statement in a new light. Most people, at least most people I know are all against taking risks of any kind. I am not a major risk-taker myself normally but I have tried it a couple of times with decent success. Most of the time though I am rather afraid of doing anything perhaps because internally I am more afraid of success and having to work for it but cloaking it under the guise of a myriad excuses.

Currently I don’t have a job (at least not one that pays!!) and neither does my husband. We are starting a company – actually he is – I am along for the ride. We have plenty of loans to pay back to various banks and we also have two children to educate and any number of expenses (unavoidable and avoidable both). So it did sound crazy to the people we knew – of course they were all encouraging but I could see the non-belief in their eyes – there were similar risk-takers in our circle of acquaintances but none who sacrificed total earning power to follow a dream. Of course my dream is different and I have yet to find a way of following it but I am trying a little everyday.

Following your dreams at the expense of security is not for everyone – not many can afford it but if you can, it is good to try at least once in this lifetime or as the saying that inspired this article implies, you will never be truly alive. Security is an illusion – that we have any control over it is an illusion – that we can plan for any eventuality is an illusion too – sometimes things happen and we have to deal with it as best we can. But it is not the goal of human life to live in fear – ours is a noble nature meant to fly and we are perhaps the only one of God’s creatures who can truly do that.