The Intersection of Risk, Growth, and Networking

LIFE LESSON

People who have an entrepreneurial mindset usually operate outside conventions. These are they who see what doesn’t exist, march to different drummers and chart their own courses. A favorite quote of folks like this is Ray Bradbury’s reference to leaping off a cliff and forming your wings on the descent. Seems illogical, right? It’s actually pretty risky.

So why do people metaphorically leap off cliffs? There’s a difference between risk and folly. Entrepreneurs take calculated risks and are also comfortable with flux and uncertainty. That said, part of any risky action is performing due diligence, whether that is researching your chosen industry; reaching out to others in related fields or drafting a business plan.

In so doing, you begin forming a network.

These are the folks you turn to as mentors, guides and other resources as you move forward toward independence and fulfilling your dream—launching from the cliff, as it were.

Your network is your wings.

The really mind-bending thing is that your wings actually form themselves—triggered by your action. Once you step out in faith, your network activates in response in an effort to help you. If you’ve cultivated your network properly, the anchors within it will enable you to move upward more easily. These anchors are people who have probably achieved a level of success that enables them to operate from a position of stability and strength. They want you to succeed as well.

Choosing and nurturing a strong network is critical to achieving your independence. Abundance begets abundance. A strong network comprised of secure people will want you to achieve (or even exceed) their levels of achievement because they are not threatened by your success. Rather, they understand that abundance magnifies itself. The Whole is elevated by your success, rather than diminished by it.

Your responsibility is to determine what you can offer, focus on it, develop it and implement your idea through consistent action.

Leap.

LIFE HACK

Not sure if you're aware, but Wednesday, January 29 is National Puzzle Day. HUZZAH! Puzzles are like a mental gym for your brain. They challenge your cognitive abilities, including problem solving, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. Some studies suggest that keeping the mind active with jigsaw puzzles and other mind-stretching activities might lead to a better quality of life, longer life expectancy, and possibly reduce the chances of developing memory loss and dementia.

Here are a few reasons why jigsaw puzzles are good for you.

? Cognition and coordination of your brain. Jigsaw puzzles work both the left (analytical) side of your brain as it focuses on the individual puzzle pieces, and the right (creative) side as it takes in the puzzle’s big picture.

? Boosts your happiness levels. Working on puzzles together encourages the production of dopamine, a brain chemical that improves learning and memory.

? Stress reliever and lowering cortisol levels. Jigsaw puzzles can also be relaxing. Concentrating on the puzzle pieces might help take your mind off stressful thoughts.

? Literally easy on the eyes. Jigsaw puzzles are easy on the eyes. No potential eye strain or backlight irritation that can happen when you spend too much time on computers, tablets and smartphones.

This week, you may wish to keep a community puzzle out on the break room or living room table for your colleagues or family to put together, er, together!

SOURCE: Colorado State University Extension

TREAT

True story: one Christmas, I gave my mother an industrial size roll of bubble wrap as a gift. One of her favorite stress relievers was popping the little bubbles. Turns out, she was way ahead of neurologists who establish a link between her habit and brain health. Popping those teeny little bubbles reduces stress, activates endorphins and also dissipates muscle strain.

If you get a chance to snag some bubble wrap tomorrow (National Bubble Wrap Day), reset your focus, boost your mindfulness and chill out by popping a few rows.

P.S. NEW! Join Christine Mortensen and me Tuesdays at 6:00pCT for Empower Hour, a fun, FREE weekly live session on YouTube designed to help you reset, refocus, and reclaim your energy. We’ll be pulling topics out of a hat (technically my bike helmet), so you never know what will come up in conversation. Join us and find out!

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An author, media consultant, life coach and speaker, Molly Cantrell-Kraig has been recognized as one of CNN’s Visionary Women, been profiled by both the Christian Science Monitor and the Shriver Report. Cantrell-Kraig has also been interviewed on the Women’s Media Center and the BBC, speaking on such topics as women, independence, gender roles and life transitions. As a catalytic change-agent, Cantrell-Kraig is a self-described work in progress whose focus is on helping others achieve their goals by sharing her own experiences.