Taking a risk is f******* hard! On my self-improvement journey, I did what most people do when they are trying to think outside of the box and obtain their goals. I searched on Google, YouTube, and any other platform where I can see inspiring people’s stories of lives who I look up to on how to get on a similar path as they did when starting out. And all I heard were “Take a risk”, “You have to take a risk if you want to be successful”, and “The biggest risk in life is not taking one at all”. While these are all true, I think people underestimate what the path looks like after taking a risk.
I went to a four-year accredited university, graduated top of my class, and received a full-time offer at a Fortune 500 job back in my hometown. While I absolutely did not want to stay back home and be surrounded by my classmates and peers before college, I was extremely lucky to be one of the selected few to have a high-paying full-time opportunity straight out of college. I’m starting to realize that my path was to stay home because my father passed away 6 months after I graduated. I will know for sure as I mature and connect the dots later on in my life, but I believe I came back home to spend time with him before he entered a new phase of his journey. I was so upset that I would still be at home and doing the 9-5 path that all of my peers were doing. I knew this was not for me as I always wanted to be my own boss and live an extraordinary life. I knew in my SOUL that a 9-5 career was not for me. But because of my childhood and unforeseen circumstances, I was not granted the opportunity to sit and reflect on what I truly wanted out of life.
It was not until I would walk into my cubicle, log onto my computer, have my daily meetings, and complete the same tasks for the four hundred thirty-ninth time I said to myself “This cannot be MY life”. One thing about losing someone unexpected and close to you such as a paternal figure at a young age in your life is that you really start to recognize how unpredictable and limited life truly is. But the most important realization of it all is how much responsibility we have in ourselves to live the life we want. It is up to us to create what we want from life and no one else’s. No one knows when it is their time to go. I’ve seen people younger than me leave.
I would rather live a meaningful life and take a risk not knowing where this risk is going to lead me than live a life where I know what my path is. The scariest thing to me is waking up Monday-Friday knowing who I am going to meet with, what task I need to get done, what exit I need to take to get to my office, and knowing what floor I need to get on to go to my cubicle. Knowing that I could possibly not be here tomorrow and this is the life that I am living where I live in a country where it’s possible to take risks and use those opportunities to my advantage.
I believe we all have disadvantages and advantages in life, some more than others. However, it is up to us to take what was given in life and create something meaningful and purposeful for ourselves. And to not let our disadvantages take the steering wheel and dictate how our life is supposed to be.
Now going back to taking a risk is f****** hard thing. This sounds extremely motivational, right? I remember after getting off WebEx with my hiring manager feeling alive, free, optimistic, and hopeful just knowing I would get my dream job the next day. Just knowing that the universe will give me exactly what’s been missing in my life. Like my spirit team just saw me make a hard ass decision so they will reward me right? I’m here to tell you it’s been 6 months and yet nothing has come.
When it comes to taking risks, the first step is not the hardest part. Continuing in believing that taking that risk will result in the outcome you want despite the 3D showing you different is. While everyone’s journey is different and in some rare cases those opportunities come once that person takes the step in taking the risk, I’ve come to realize that this is not my case. However, I believe that I am given this time to heal and work on myself first before I am given my desires. I have to think about it like this. Would I be able to handle the success of my own business venture if I cannot properly take care of myself? So why would the universe give this to me? I can take this break with savings and a friend’s apartment I can stay at. I know this isn’t the case for a lot of people and I recognize that, but I used my resources and sacrificed a known path to go into an unknown one. And I truly believe that this will all work out and that is what is extremely difficult. Still holding onto that hope that it will all work out in the end.
To end this story, what I want readers to take home with them is that it is up to you to evaluate your life and change your habits on what you want to bring into your life. Yes, taking that step to take those risks is extremely hard, but holding on to the belief that it will all work out is harder and this is not talked about enough. We hear risk and see success. We don’t see those days where hope is lost and failures are made. Understanding this will come about in taking risks. This does not mean it won’t happen but it will in divine timing, belief, and change in self-identity.
Trust that what’s meant for you will not pass by you and we can’t control when our winning season will be. That’s up to the creator. We just have to learn to control our emotions and make decisions that correlate with the life we want to live. Everyone can change their narrative and rewrite the story that was given to them. Hold on to the belief that there is a better life out there waiting for you because that’s the truth.