Take a Chance

It is common in today's culture to use the parting words, "take care" or "take it easy." Playing it safe, not rocking the boat and waiting until all conditions are just right, have become the doctrines of many.

Internationally renowned speaker and consultant Faith Popcorn identified a trend several years back, which she called "cocooning." Cocooning per Ms. Popcorn means that "people are shielding themselves from the harsh unpredictable realities of the outside world and retreating into safe cozy home-like environments." The problem with staying in your cocoon is that you never allow yourself to spread your wings and become the "butterfly" that you were destined to become.

"It is impossible to win the great prizes of life without running risks." - Theodore Roosevelt

A couple of weeks ago we were talking about a very risky action that we had taken. Just the thought of the risk sounded romantic to us. We couldn't believe that we were using the words "romantic" and "risk" in the same sentence. We even thought we were a little unusual to equate the two. That was until we came across the following statement:

"Life has no romance without risk." - Sarah Doherty, the first one-legged person to scale Mt. McKinley

Perhaps there is something that you have wanted to do but were hesitant or even afraid to try. Maybe you know that you are not living to your fullest potential and that thought makes you feel restless, uneasy or unfullfilled. You might have some ideas or even a vision but are afraid of what other people might think. All of these thoughts are normal. All successful people have them. Often times what separates those who live in abundance and those who do not is to be afraid and do it anyway. And in the words of Robert F. Kennedy, "Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly."

Or maybe you think that the potential downside of the risk is not worth the potential upside of the opportunity or that you may not recover if things go wrong. What if you fail? Good - then you know what doesn't work and every failure brings you one step closer to your goal. Failure is not the end, it is only part of the process and success without risk is impossible.

"To get profit without risk, experience without danger and reward without work is as impossible as it is to live without being born." - A.P. Gouthey

When we decided to write our book it wasn't just a weekend project.

We walked away from our careers, sold a business and jumped into the project full-time. We put everything on the line. Was it worth the risk? Absolutely! Marriages have been saved, relationships have been renewed, people have rediscovered their spiritual roots, men and women have discovered their passion and purpose in life and we have no doubt that our vision to help save one million marriages within the next ten years will become a reality. None of this would be possible if we had valued security over freedom, waited until circumstances were just right and had been afraid to risk failure in order to gain success.

Don't be afraid to live your life. Take a chance! Go for it! Be bold! For as Ovid said, "Fortune and love befriend the bold."

********** Darren and Donna McNees are Authors of "The 21 Day Marriage Makeover: How to transform your marriage into one filled with more love, affection, fun and happiness." To experience your Marriage Makeover or to get your free bi-weeky newsletter containing proven yet simple advice designed to enrich your life and energize your marriage go to www.21DayMarriageMakeover.com. *********** Copyright © 2004 Darren & Donna McNees. Reprint permission is granted if the article is used in its entirety including all of the contact information above.

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