Just Off The Beaten Path Lies A World Unexplored. What Can You Risk?

Still round the corner there may wait

A new road or a secret gate

And though I oft have passed them by

A day will come at last when I

Shall take the hidden paths that run

West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

― J.R.R. Tolkien

We become so accustomed to the default ways of how we do things, of how our lives play out, of what we expect from society around us that we settle into a comfort zone of inertia. We go about our routine and daily lives and seldom explore alternative avenues, seldom seek the unknown. And in doing so we miss many opportunities that lie in waiting for us, just off the beaten path, in the woods of the opportunity.

I was asked once to describe my stance towards risk, and found the question fascinating. The context to the answer is important and I would want someone to consider the whole person as opposed to a single version that they might be interested in. The entire person is responding and not just the facet, and all of it plays together in a harmony that explains the whole.

By nature, I am a risk aware person (not averse, but aware). Someone that evaluates options when presented with an opportunity, issue or crisis, reviews the available information, the impacts and selects the most logical choice. That is a broad description, but a more appropriate one would be context aware. I don’t take risks when it comes to my family, friends and loved ones, their safety and wellbeing. I don’t take uncalculated risks when it comes to financial matters. I don’t take risks when it comes to the operational stability and regulatory compliance of my work, but I do take risks when I am trying to be innovative, when exploring new avenues to solve a problems, or when the outcome sees more benefit from taking a chance than the realization of failure would impact me and those around me. I take risks when I am creative, when I can afford the opportunity to learn from failure or when I have the opportunity to explore and experience something new.

Taking risks should be context aware, it should incorporate logical acceptance of critical elements that would typically negate or override all other decisions such as complete financial loss or physical harm, but it should be seeked out and engaged to explore new opportunities and build out one’s character and strengths.

We need to start opening our eyes to the world around us, become more aware of the opportunities that present themselves, become more mindful in noticing the things around us, the emotions and people, the beauty and the richness of experience. We need to feel, to explore, to follow and lead.

And next time when you walk past the door that you have passed by so many times, just stop, take a peek. You might be surprised by what you see on the other side.