As 2022 begins, I have been thinking about ways to improve my own life and by doing so, I had to get real and honest about why I was not seeing progress in areas of my life that I have always wanted to improve. It boiled down to not wanting to take the risk: the risk of getting hurt, the risk of being embarrassed, the risk of failing. I spent the month of January thinking how I can combat this fear, and it was hard. There are so many reasons I don’t want to take certain risks. I turned to my Instagram and asked others, “What keeps you from taking risks in life?” Part of me was hoping at least one person would answer, the other part was hoping someone would say the same reasons I feel.
Turns out, many people feel like me.
The three main answers I received, out of thirty, were complacency, fear of failure, and fear of what people will think.
Every answer I received, I wanted to personally message that person and say, “Don’t let anyone’s opinion hold you back! Go take the risk, it’s okay if you fail!” Honestly, that’d be hypocritical because more times than not, I let the thought of what people will think hold me back. I let the fear of failure or rejection keep me from doing a lot. I remain complacent even if I want to change, because it’s easier.
It’s easier to not take the risk because you don’t know what you are missing. People’s opinions weigh deeply on us because we are human beings and want to be liked. We want to be considered cool. It’s okay, I understand and I live in that mindset more often than I’d like to admit.
As I navigate taking more risks, I want to let y’all in on something. Since I have taken more risks, I have been happier. Freshman year Savannah would never post photos of her at the gym, she would never write articles about anything, she would never work at a law firm during college. But I took the risk.
From that, I’ve gained more confidence in myself at the gym when I used to never step foot in one. I write about things from mental health, to self-improvement, to dating – things I never used to mention outside the realms of texting with my best friend. Now, I help members of the Greenville community that have previously been incarcerated – I would have been too afraid of that years ago.
There is nothing wrong with things not working out when you take a risk. In the past year, I have been waitlisted at law schools I really wanted to get into, denied from internships I was interested in, and embarrassed by the outcome of many other situations. It’s important to remind yourself that every person in your life has failed before when taking a risk. Yet, they are still worthy, they are still capable, and they are still able to succeed in life. Give yourself that same respect.
It’s scary no matter what capacity it is. Risk taking still scares me everyday, but I can tell you one thing: I have never regretted taking the risk, but I have regretted not taking the risk.
So, I leave you with a quote that hangs on my bedroom wall: “take the risk or lose the chance”. From small daily things like walking into the gym on your own to big things like seeking out that job that you have always wanted – take the risk.