In today’s business world you cannot afford to play it safe.

If you want to be successful.

You have to be willing to take risks.

If you want to achieve your biggest dreams and wildest ambitions you have to learn how to strengthen your success muscles.

Develop courage.

Stepping outside your comfort zone is going to cause you some anxiety.

But it’s a great way to grow courage.

Doing something you don’t normally do, however small to start with, will help you cope with the unexpected.

Which is where fear often originates from.

Doubt and failure are ever-present in business.

Dare to accept failure as part of your entrepreneurial journey.

Because failure will be your greatest educator.

Through failure comes humility.

And humility allows understanding and perspective.

Without failure, you cannot fully understand yourself.

Or develop as a business person.

Embrace your fear and try not to hesitate.

The longer you give yourself to come up with excuses for not being courageous, the more likely it is that you will become paralysed.

And spend too much time worrying about hypothetical negative outcomes.

About taking risks …

In my early days, brimming with youthful enthusiasm, I took an “all or nothing” approach toward risk.

Sometimes things worked out in my favour.

Other times not so much.

I have to admit everything I did back then was based on gut instinct alone.

I still trust my gut first and foremost.

But no longer do I put everything on the line and run the risk of going out in a blaze of attempted glory.

I learned the difference between being a risk-taker and a calculated risk-taker.

The difference between failure and success.

I learned how to balance the pros and cons.

And develop methods for taking smart risks to improve my business.

And to minimise my losses.

What is “the worst thing that could happen?”

I am comfortable with entertaining the possibility of failure.

In business, failure is always an option.

I don’t expect failure.

But if things should go awry, I am prepared.

I always have a Plan B.

I’m only too willing to admit I still suffer the occasional setback.

That’s the nature of business.

I like to manage risk, not avoid it.

I love introducing new products and services into my business that makes my life and the lives of my staff and clients easier and better.

Of course, innovation carries risk.

There are rewards in risk.

Even if the reward is the exhilarating experience of the risk itself.

Is it time you stopped overthinking it.

And starting risking it?

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