My dictionary tells me that to risk is "to expose oneself to the chance of loss." I suppose that is true.

Another piece of literature I was once given (author unknown) suggests that:

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.

You may avoid suffering and sorrow if you don't risk, but you simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love, live. The greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing. The person who risks nothing, does nothing and has nothing. Only a person who risks is free.

Build Courage: 10 Tips  ●  3 Rules for Developing Courage  ●  Courage is a Key to Leadership

Be brave and proactive
− life is too short to waste it on fears and procrastination.

  Vadim Kotelnikov

What causes individuals to shy away from taking a risk, even if it is a low risk and will give them something they really want? Well, certainly high on most people's list would be fear of loss, failure and perceived humiliation if the loss were to occur. Why would we automatically think that we would fail at something? Why wouldn't we first try and see, and then if we did fail, learn from that experience and move on? What causes us to have these thoughts of inferiority?

Well, I believe it dates back to our little life. And, since risk-taking, to my knowledge, is not a subject that is taught in school, it would lead me to believe that a person's fear of taking risks might stem back from before they can even remember. When you were a child taking your very first steps, it wasn't uncommon to hear one of your parents or guardians say, "Be careful, you might fall." Or, "Don't do that, you'll ...." Though some of this is rhetoric and you don't really pay much attention to it, for some, it begins the pattern of playing it safe.

Innompic Anthem 'I Have a Difference To Make!"  ●  Jump In!  ●  Can-Do Attitude

Learn from a little baby − a natural born risk taker

A little baby is a natural born risk taker. The baby never considers the consequences of falling when it is learning to walk. Falling is acknowledged as a natural consequence to learning to walk. I guess you could call it a calculated gamble; it's a prerequisite to mastering a myriad of motor skills required to get you on your feet and moving. It's a natural progression in movement... More

Jump In!  ●  The Magic of Action  ●  Can-Do Attitude  ●  EKICHAWO

Think 'I Can'

I CAN is far more important than IQ. You don't necessarily have to be very smart to win ... but you must be willing. Reaching the goal is not success; success is moving toward the goal.... More

Breakthrough FICAP Attitudes  ●  BE MAD  ●  Prepare to Win