On taking risks

In Monday’s post, I talked about some of my mid-career exploration, and how finding out that the grass only looks greener is a valuable exercise. What if I had found that the grass was greener? Then that would have been fabulous, too, right? So there was no way to lose.

I expect that there are people who think, “Yeah, well, it could have been a DISASTER. You could have STARVED. TERRIBLE THINGS happen to people who take risks.”

Which is true, but terrible things happen to people who don’t take risks. Think about burnout. I hear so many people talk about how tired they are and how they don’t want to work so hard anymore. I get this, but the more you talk this way, the more you live this. You’re not going to get over burnout/middle age/fear/whatever by talking about it. You have to do something. Get the work you want. Take a sabbatical, or do something new, or go live in Calcutta for a year.

I know there are lots of reasons why you can’t do whatever. But if I had let that stop me I’d be living on the streets with a disabled kid. Stop thinking about can’t. Figure out how you can.