5 Tactics for Taking an Enormous Risk

Written by Tyler Tervooren - 14 Comments
Categories: self improvement

do-not-pass

I know you. Probably better than you think I do. I know you have some big ideas, some dreams. I know you wonder how you’ll ever actually do them. I know you have responsibilities and choices to make and things don’t always work out like you wish because there isn’t quite enough money, time, or energy.

I know that no matter what happens, though, you always get that nagging voice in the back of your head that asks, “What if? What if I just did it?”

Okay, maybe I don’t know you that well, but it’s an incredibly common feeling for almost everyone. There’s something you really want to do, but the time is never quite right and it just feels too risky.

Risk is a four-letter word these days and I don’t think it gets the respect it deserves.

You can work your whole life to keep risk at bay, but it comes at the cost of boredom. Anyone can elect safety, but you’ll pay for it with your life’s biggest desires.

If you ever want to realize your dreams – if you want to start that business, find that true love, go on that adventure, or anything else – risk is going to become an intimate part of your life.

Once you accept that, you can get on to actually taking them. Here are a few things you can do to make sure you do it right:

1) Embrace Uncertainty

The fear of the unknown is paralyzing, but going toward your fears is the only way to actually get what you really want.

Everyone wants something out of reach, but the only thing keeping it there is your own belief. Once you convince yourself that it’s possible for you to achieve something, even if it’s not reasonable, you’re far more likely to actually work towards it.

Personally, I know that if it my goals don’t scare me, they probably aren’t worth doing.

2) Forget About the Odds

Let’s face it, when you want to do something incredible, the odds are stacked against you. No way around it.

If everything was set up for you to succeed, no one would care when you did (including you).

Forgetting the odds means realizing that doing something important is hard work. It means understanding that success is uncertain and doing it anyway.

3) Plan, but not too Much

I plan to climb the tallest mountain on every continent. It’s a challenge that I cannot deny myself.

That said, I have no idea how to actually make that happen yet, and if I tried to figure out all the details now, I’d never even get started.

Instead, I plan only what I can foresee. Next year I’ll head to Europe and Africa to climb the tallest mountains there. I have no idea how I’ll get to the next five, but I know I’ll figure it out along the way.

Plan what you can count on. You’ll have to figure out the rest later.

4) Take the First Step

Don’t forget this part. Take the first step. Make the leap. Get started. Do something.

This gets ignored far too often. You don’t have to change the world when you’re getting started, but if you just take the first step, eventually you will.

When I trained for my first marathon, I couldn’t run 26 miles. But I could put my shoes on. Then I could run 1 mile. Then 5. Then 10. A few months later, I ran 26.2 miles in less than 4 hours.

Make your first step the easiest one you can imagine.

5) Throw Away Plan B

Should you have a fallback plan? Here’s my answer: no.

When you’re going after something big, uncertain, and risky, it’s going to be hard and Plan B is usually something easy – probably even something you’ve already done before even if it makes you miserable.

The harder Plan A gets, the more appealing Plan B becomes. Some things are too important for a Plan B. It’s up to you to decide if this is one of them.

Tyler Tervooren writes for a highly skilled team of risk takers at Advanced Riskology. Follow his updates from the tops of mountains on Twitter: @tylertervooren.

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  • http://hanofharmony.com The Vizier

    Hi Tyler,

    Great article on taking risk!

    I just want to elaborate a little on the 5th tactic.

    5) Throw away plan B: A safety net sometimes becomes an easy way out. If you want to take risks it is best not to give yourself a way out as you have said. Great generals understood this tactic well. There have been a few instances in battle where the general did not have a plan B precisely because he did not want his soldiers to have a way out to escape. This would weaken their resolve to prevail.

    One example is that of the military leader Xiang Yu from the late Qin Dynasty in China. At the pivotal Battle of Julu against numerically superior odds, he ordered his men to destroy their cooking utensils and to sink their boats to boost his army’s resolve. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Xiang Yu’s men fought with all their might because they had nowhere to retreat to. And so, in the end they managed to prevail.

    Used effectively, throwing away plan B is a powerful method of getting yourself to take risks. Thanks for sharing Tyler!

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  • http://shubhadeepb.blogspot.com/ Shub

    Tyler – nice post this.

    Love the quote – “You can work your whole life to keep risk at bay, but it comes at the cost of boredom. You can elect safety, but you’ll pay for it with your life’s biggest desires.”

    The 4th & 5th points are my take away TO DOs. Taking the first step is absolutely essential, whereas getting rid of a Plan B is an interesting option that could be absolutely terrifying for anyone learning to take more risks :-)

    Cheers
    Shub

  • http://bystander.homestead.com Francis Chin

    Just a thought on Plan B. It’s good psychology on a general’s part to show his men that there is no escape route; but I feel the general should secretly have a Plan B which he doesn’t need to tell anyone. This is wisdom versus reckless action.

  • http://hanofharmony.com The Vizier

    @Francis

    I totally agree with you Francis. Most of the time, the men don’t really know the full extent of their general’s plans anyway.

  • http://www.transformationalmotivation.com/ M. A. Tohami

    I like and highly recommend the “Plan, but not too Much” tactic.

    When you have really big dreams, it is impossible to see the full path from A to Z. That’s why you shouldn’t spend your time planning for the whole journey, because your plan will definitely change.

    Just focus on planning for the next step you can foresee.

  • http://www.SteveScottSite.com Steve@Lifestyle Design

    I was “almost” set to disagree you with you on planning. I am a big proponent of planning out most things. But the more I think about it the more I agree.

    Having a plan is very important imo, but a plan is and should be fluid. As the saying goes no plan survives contact with the enemy. It is important to try to forsee things and be ready for them, but you cannot foresee everything and being TOO bogged down in details can hold you back.

    As for the rest of it, I totally agree. The best way to get something done is to do it. If you worry about how “hard” it is or give yourself “outs” it is just a way to fail

  • http://brookefarmer.com Brooke Farmer

    Tyler, Excellent article as always. Thank you for my daily dose of “it’s time to get off your @** and do something already!”

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    [...] of my favorite blogs has another great post about taking the risks to obtain your desired life. Posted by October 2010 Subscribe to RSS [...]

  • http://www.lostcoinzen.com Rebecca

    You and my zen teacher have a lot of the same perspectives. Do you have Buddhist training?

  • http://tylertervooren.com/advancedriskology Tyler Tervooren

    Rebecca – No buddhist training, but I like to study the principles.

  • http://diaryofamadfreelancer.com/week-freelance-101610/ This Week in Freelance (10/16/10) | Diary of A Mad Freelancer

    [...] risk. If you considering it or even thinking about leaping into something else, Pick the Brain’s 5 Tactics for Taking an Enormous Risk is well worth the read. Related Diary EntriesWorkaholic Goes on VacationFreelance Lessons From My [...]

  • http://enlightr.com Craig Thomas

    Nice post, interesting point regarding plan B. Personally, I don’t really know if I could get rid of plan B, although I could do something without it? mm hard to explain.