Why "playing it safe" isn’t always best

It makes sense to avoid the risks involved with hazardous things, like jumping off a cliff without a parachute. However, when it comes to getting out of an unfulfilling relationship or job those same cautious instincts can backfire.

Because change seems scary we believe that it posses a greater risk than sticking with the status quo. However, we often fail to factor in how not taking a risk can lead to an unfulfilling life. As well as all the things we could be missing out on. Consider the following if you are one of the many that play it safe.

Get out of your comfort zone

Many people don’t like to “rock the boat” especially once they obtain some level of success. The downside of this is that you no longer “play to win” ,instead, you “play to lose”. Experts confirm that this approach of hesitation and second guessing rarely lead you to the desired outcome.

Because what you do is subconsciously scale back your efforts and rob yourself of chances to flourish. In order to “play to win” you have to acknowledge your fear of the unknown in a proactive way. If you are thinking of starting your own business or going after that promotion at your company, list your hesitations and ask yourself how you’d handle the worst case scenario. By looking at specific "what ifs" you can evaporate some fears and give yourself the confidence boost to get back in the game.

Stop waiting for the right moment

A lot of us put of doing the things we dream of like taking that dream vacation or starting our own business because we are holding out for the best conditions possible. What we forget is that by waiting for the right moment we may never accomplish these things.

Iris Songivliano, a clinical psychologist in New York City said it best when he said, “In order to be dealt a winning hand, you have to be in the game." Rather than waiting around for the right moment, go after what you want. Create your own opportunities by setting tiny yet, specific goals.

If you always wanted to start your own business you can start by doing some research, figure out what it would take by drafting a business plan. Same goes if you always wanted to visit Germany. Decide which season you would like to go and then read a travel book on the city. Since the brain interprets small everyday goals as easier to tackle then big lifelong goals you’ll jump start a stalled mind-set to propel you toward reaching your ultimate outcome.

Don’t dwell on past disappointments

You, like many others, may allow only the negative memories or your past failures to impact your future decision-making. By doing this you ignore all the positive things you’ve learned from earlier experiences. But the more you see the broader the picture surrounding life challenges the faster and easier and the trail to triumph will shift into focus.

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