Taking Risks

When I was younger, I was afraid to take risks. I always had this fear inside that things would backfire on me. So it would be common for me to put everything off to another time. I had developed a comfort zone that I didn’t want to leave. About 3 years ago, my whole life changed in a way I couldn’t even imagine. I signed up for a workshop through work which basically was a self-help organization helping people to get the most out of themselves. One of the major things they preached was stepping out of your comfort zone and experimenting with taking risks. It didn’t matter whether things worked out or not, just as long as you attempted something. This advice gave me the confidence to go out and explore the many opportunities that I had missed out on when I was younger.

The biggest risk I ever took to date was going for my driver’s license. I was petrified of driving because when I was 15 years old, I went go-cart racing and I almost ran over one of the workers at the track. My father pulled me aside and said “Mike if you think you're ready to drive, you got another thing coming. Your concentration was terrible. You need to improve your focus 100%.” So this stuck with me for many years, and I never wanted to drive as a result of it. For a while I was content with not driving, but that changed when I got my job. I realized I would need to visit clients sooner or later, and the only way I could do that was to get my driver’s license. So I signed up for driving lessons, and I quickly learned that driving wasn’t as scary as I thought it would be. All I needed to do was put 100% concentration into it and always be aware of my surroundings. When it was time for my road test, I felt cool and relaxed going into it. That changed in a heartbeat when the instructor came into the car. She scared the daylights out of me and caused me to be anxious. As a result, I failed the test. I was devastated and understood that the only way to succeed was to work harder the next time. I practiced for a few more months, and by the time my second road test was set, I was ready. I passed it with flying colors. It was such a huge relief for me to finally get my license. I know there are still plenty of things for me to improve on as far as driving goes, but I can hold my head up high and be proud of myself for accomplishing such a big goal.

Not every risk I have taken has worked out for me. This past year, I finally decided to sit for the CPA exam. This was something I would always put off because I was worried about how studying for it would affect my social life. I was having so much fun and I didn’t want it to stop. One night I gave myself a reality check. I told myself it's time to grow up and focus on my career. With that in mind, I applied to sit for the exam and signed up for the review course. So for a month and a half, I had my nose in the books studying. I didn’t party at all, and I barely made it to the gym. Each day that passed, I was growing more and more confident that I was going to ace the exam. I had this swagger, if that’s what you want to call it, that I was going to dominate. Besides that all my friends and family were rooting me on. But the day of the exam, I was in for a rude awakening. It seemed like every question that was asked was something that I had not seen before. I completely blanked on most of the questions, and I knew I was toast. When I left the test center, I did not have a good feeling about it at all. About a month later, the inevitable happened. I found out I failed the exam. I was very disappointed about it, but I kept in mind that almost everyone fails the first time.

Now more than ever, I’m comfortable taking risks that I wouldn’t have dared take when I was younger. Because I know that whether it works out or not isn’t the point. It’s all about having the audacity and the confidence to go out there and stake your claim. You've got nothing to lose and everything to gain. You never know what opportunities are out there if you don’t try.