March 3rd, 2008
Smart risks help you achieve your goals, Part I
What do Martin Luther King, Jr. (civil rights leader), Tony Hawk (vertical skateboarder), Steve Jobs (co-founder and CEO of Apple), Helen Keller (deaf and blind author and activist), and Sally Ride (astronaut) have in common? They are all risk-takers. You might be one also. Whether you parachute out of planes, have started your own business, gotten married, or participated in a peaceful protest you have taken risks. If you have achieved some of your goals, you are a risk taker. Even if you are generally a risk avoider, you have certainly taken some risks in your life – albeit small ones like crossing the street, driving a car, starting a new job, etc. There are big risks and little risks. There are physical risks, emotional risks, and intellectual risks. There are everyday risks and life-changing risks. There are good risks and bad risks.
According to Frank Farley, PhD, those who frequently take risks and enjoy it are type T (thrill-seekers) personalities. He describes two categories of Type T’s: intellectual and physical. You’ll find the physical Type T’s at the X games performing incredibly dangerous tricks on skateboards, and jumping off tall buildings. Intellectual Type T’s are the entrepreneurs, social change agents, and those who engage in the stock market. I would add a third category – emotional risk-takers – those who are willing to be vulnerable and share their deep feelings with others.
Why take risks? Some scientists suggest that risk-taking behavior has served an important role in the evolution of humans. It was important to have risk takers who were willing to be the first to check out a new cave to make sure there weren’t any big hungry bears inside. Without this risk-taker, a whole family might enter a cave and be attacked by a family of bears. There were risk-takers who were willing to test a new plant to see if it was a safe food. Today we still see this type of risk taking behaviors in people who volunteer for clinical trials. These people are willing to risk their own health to try new treatments.
Create a great week!
Kirsten Harrell
