Many of us dream of a better life. Perhaps this dream involves being time affluent, having more money, pursuing a meaningful career or being free from health problems. But what would you be prepared to risk for this better life?
This was a question I recently contemplated in my article, LASIK Eye Surgery. Have You? Would You? LASIK Eye Surgery is a procedure that has the potential to dramatically improve a person’s life by freeing them from the need to wear glasses and contact lenses. But like all surgical procedures, LASIK poses inherent risks as there is no such thing as perfect surgery, a perfect surgeon, or even a perfect patient. Most of the replies to the article spoke glowingly of the procedure, but it is impossible to ignore comments such as this one by SP:
“My fiancé did the research and went to one of the best doctors in the USA for surgery. But it didn’t work. His vision is worse than it was before surgery, and now his eyes are very dry as well. So now he’s out the money from the surgery and follow-up visits, with a negative outcome. Beware, beware, beware!”
Understanding Risk
Each and every day we make choices that involve some degree of risk, in the sense that these choices could lead to negative and sometimes disastrous consequences. When we love, we risk not being loved in return. When we try, we risk failure. When we invest, we risk losing money. When we take the road less traveled, we risk being shunned by our friends and family. When we hope, we risk pain.
When it comes to LASIK, it is obvious that a patient is risking their eyesight. According to the Wikipedia, the incidence of LASIK surgery patients having unresolved complications six months after surgery is estimated to be between 3% and 6%.
I should point out, though, that the same page says, “it is important to take into account the individual risk potential of a patient and not just the average probability for all patients.” And this is true for all choices - different people will face different levels of risk when undertaking the same activity.
Managing Risk
One important way to manage risk is to mitigate (reduce) it. An excellent example of this can be seen in a recent article by Leo from Zen Habits. In this article, Leo shares how he has made the transition from being a full-time employee to that of a self-employed ProBlogger.
There are obviously risks involved in this type of career change, a fact that Leo acknowledges when we writes that it is “very very very scary.” But he has mitigated these risks by developing multiple streams of online income, paying off his debt and saving an emergency fund.
When it comes to an operation such as LASIK there are a number of ways to reduce risk, such as finding a surgeon with an excellent reputation and screening them with some tough questions. Even after mitigating risk, however, there still remains the potential for major complications. This was summed up in a comment left by Brandon in response to my original article:
“There’s a huge risk, if there is a problem, which is unlikely, you could lose your sight… Personally, the risk was worth it for me but if others don’t share those values then I completely understand.”
This is a good example how an individual can understand the risks, and accept the potentially disastrous consequences, of a particular course of action. I completely understand, though, if a person chooses to another method of risk management when it comes to LASIK: risk avoidance. After all, this is a person’s eyesight that we are talking about.
But is risk avoidance an appropriate strategy for managing many of the choices we face in life?
The Ultimate Risk
“The dangers of life are infinite, and among them is safety.” -Goethe
What is the ultimate risk? In my opinion, the ultimate risk is living your life in such a way that when you when you come to lie on your deathbed you will have cause for regret. It is therefore important to understand that there is great risk attached to inaction and safety. By playing things safe - for example by staying in a high paying but unsatisfying career - you are actually risking the pain of regret later in life.
This does not mean, though, that you should throw caution to the wind by not properly assessing your own individual circumstances and attitudes towards risk. As this article has made clear, some risky choices can lead to disastrous consequences. But we should always remember that when we risk ourselves, our time, and our careers in the pursuit of a better life, we can accomplish and attain things we never imagined.
What would you risk for a better life? Or, what have you risked and what happened?
Peter writes about how to enjoy life at The Change Blog. If you enjoyed this article, you may wish to download his free e-book, A Year of Change.
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I chose to homeschool my children. Now if that isn’t scarey, I don’t know what is!
Going wonderfully, I’m even preparing to launch a new blog about Homeschooling to help other ‘homeschoolin’ hotties’!
“In my opinion, the ultimate risk is living your life in such a way that when you when you come to lie on your deathbed you will have cause for regret.”
GREAT stuff Peter…I am learning that not taking risks can be much more unfulfilling than taking them…as long as they are “calculated” and not hurting anybody.
Todd Goldfarb
We The Change
Sometimes the risk is worth it, sometimes it isn’t. However, leaving in fear of everything is also no way to live.
I’m not averse to risk - I moved to a new town and gave up a job and eventually a long-term relationship for grad school. However, I think risk for me comes down to the possibility of being able to fix something. All of these things have a chance of later being altered, either back to their original state or to new things. However, if Lasik goes wrong, that I can’t fix, and that makes it not worth it for me. Granted, there may be some things that I haven’t yet thought of that are both un-fixable and worth it to me, but the things that really give me pause are how possible it is to change things again after the initial risk. I agree with Alex, though - risk can be worth it or not, but constant fear is not a good way to go. It’s just a process of finding out what’s good and right for you.
Sometimes what we perceive as risky is less than we imagine. Sometimes there is a certain risk in just staying still and in our comfort zone. Thought provoking article
In my experience, taking risks is the only way to learn. Yes, you sometimes fall flat on your face, but then you learn a sense of humour and so the risk was not wasted - each risk you take adds to your list of personal skills (as you learn how to handle disappointments as well as successes) and makes you a more interesting person! Just look at a baby learning to walk - if that isn’t risk-taking I don’t know what is - and yet nothing stops the baby from trying again and again…
I think Jenn has a really good point about the fixability of risks. If you change jobs or start your own business and end up failing, you will definitely be able to get back on your feet. A lifetime of health problems is a different story.
In general, I think most people are far to averse to fixabl risks. Maybe it’s fear of failure, but there are great rewards for those willing to take chances in life, especially while you’re still fairly young.
Great writing Peter, and may I add - great picture!
It really does take a willingness to not only step outside your comfort zone, but totally abandon it altogether. For me, it took a complete approach to managing my mindset in order to really start pursuing the life I wanted to create for myself. And every day is a journey on the way to attaining that life. This is how I like to view life, and I feel enthusiastic for each new opportunitity. Risk is just a pessimist’s word for opportunity.
You can choose to be passionate, choose to be motivated, choose to live the life you dream. Excellent thoughts.
Jason
Unleash your Intelligent Warrior
http://www.liveloaded.com
Life=Risks
Avoid taking risks and you avoid much of your life. There is never failure, only learning.
The biggest risk you will ever make is assuming that Jesus Christ is not exactly who he says he is.
[…] What Would You Risk For A Better Life? | PickTheBrain (tags: Blog Life Hack) […]
A big risk I took was writing and publishing a book. It was a hard road to walk, but one I’m glad I did. Yes, it’s scary, but I’d rather risk failure than guarantee regret.
Risk is what makes the world vibrant and exciting, and is inevitably an essential part of life, sometimes whether you like it or not. Great article!
Cheers,
Ellesse
As for me, I will risk anything beside death. It’s because I can start all over again if I’m still alive. I don’t have a family to risk yet.
Alex Liu
How To Become A Millionaire
http://secretsofunlimitedwealth.com
[…] I was once a chronic worrier (see What I Would Tell My 15 Year Old Self). It always bothered me that I was unsure of my path in life, especially when it seemed other people were so sure of what it is they wanted to do. Anyway, I have learned that it is ok to be uncertain. In fact, I would even go so far as to say that uncertainty is the spice of life. I believe that when we give up the need to know, life becomes vibrant and, yes, even a little risky. […]
That’s true. I call it calculated risk. Figure out how to minimize the risk and maximize the reward. Here’s a post about my calculated risk:
Do You Have The Audacity to Succeed?
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