I read something on Substack the other day about a guy who was 38 giving advice to those in their 30s and 20s.
His tone is very different than mine (lol), and I disagreed with some of the points he made, but the very first one struck a nerve. It read:
“When you turn 35, you’ll see the difference between those who took risks and those who didn’t.”
While I’m not 35 yet, it’s already ringing true.
I’ve started to see the separation between people who go for their goals and the people who watch them slip by.
I’m not saying that one group of people is better or more worthy than another.
The difference between the two is that there’s an internal fire within the people who go for it that causes them to make a change. The other accepts their fate—a comfortable, good enough life.
Risks shouldn’t be taken lightly or all of the time, of course. They should be intentional—usually coming from a soft whisper and then turning louder and louder.
The people who push down the voice telling them to go for it are the ones who stay exactly where they are.
I can say this because I was one of them.
If I didn’t take a risk and move to NYC, I probably would still be in San Francisco always wondering what if.
If I didn’t take the risk and leave my corporate job, I probably would be sitting at a dinner with my friends still complaining about politics and horrible bosses.
Risks don’t have to be huge leaps of faith—they usually start out much smaller until your nervous system feels safe to go bigger.
I believe that practicing risk taking now will set you up for more alignment, meaning, and achieving whatever goals you have set for yourself.
4 common reasons holding you back from taking risks (+ prompts to help you work through them)
According to my Notion CRM, I’ve talked to 127 people in the last year and a half (and honestly, it’s missing a lot of people).
These are some of the more common reasons I hear when people say they can’t take risks.