Swami Vivekananda said, ” Take risks in your life. If you win, you can lead! If you lose, you can guide!”

Learning to ride a bicycle was an ordeal in our childhood. With no side guards, a man had to run, holding the bike from behind. I do not remember how many times I fell, got bruised, and endured Tetanus shots in my bumps. Well, it was a risk—worth taking.

Life is a journey of courage and risk-taking. It’s a constant balance, expanding and contracting in direct proportion to our bravery and audacity. When we embrace these challenges, we become leaders in our own lives and inspire others with our courage and resilience.

They say the door to success opens for everyone, but only once in a lifetime. Success is not a matter of luck but of your relentless efforts and unwavering willingness to take risks, ultimately shaping your fate.

If you risk nothing, then you risk everything. Those who dare to go too far discover how far it’s possible.

I could not crack the IIT entrance exam for the first time after my higher secondary school, which shattered me for a while, but I became wiser and understood that Mathematics was not my forte. In my next move, I polished my Biology and risked facing CPMT – to my sheer delight and utmost happiness; I cracked the competition in the first go, and today, I am a satisfied and pleased Consultant. – ‘If you win, you will be happy; If you lose, you will be wise.’

Our lives work like a see-saw between our comfort zones and our dreams. We fail to recognise our failings if we keep thriving and brooding in our comfort zones. But when we dare chase our legitimate dreams, we embark on a journey of heightened anxiety with the promise of self-discovery and growth. It’s a risk worth taking, leading us to who we are.

MARK ZUCKERBERG has interpreted it clearly – In this quickly changing world, the only strategy guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.

Living with risks leads to growth, discovery, and a new domain of opportunities. However, it’s crucial to strike a balance between the calculated risks that might push you forward and being mindful of the potential consequences.

There is a breed that takes amazing magnitudes of risks for a THRILL —jumping from an aircraft, circumventing the seas in a small boat, trapezing across two skyscrapers, gambling at a racecourse, etc. The logic and legitimacy of these acts are debatable, but they take the individual to a high. The person accomplishes his goals— whether defeat or triumph, he is not answerable to anyone but himself.

What about the millions of pockets spent on the inflammable and fragile share market, where people invest their hearts out, taking risks of unimaginable dimensions? Bits are made and lost in the Big Bull’s risk-taking game while walking on a tightrope. For them, risk is a price they pay for an opportunity. Winning the game of stocks makes them happy, and they lead—while a loss makes them wise to be picky about the correct issues.

Banking upon luck and destiny for all the achievements and triumphs in life’s journey is superfluous and childish. Luck also favours those who take risks, live without regrets and step out of their comfort zones.

A surgeon’s ability and aptitude are gauged not by the number of surgeries he performs but by the risks he takes in dealing with complicated patients. He has plans B and C in his kitty to overcome complications. A good Doctor won’t settle for the ordinary, as he is willing to take unusual risks in treating his patients. Each patient is a challenge, and the doctor is tutored to become wiser and more proficient in his dealings and skills.

Opening one’s heart out and capably communicating in a love relationship carries a chance of being slapped with a big NO—but the risk is worth every bit of it. A ‘NO’ might break some hearts, but it’s better than not asking at all. A ‘YES’ will change the world for good and bring happiness, but a NO will make the person wiser and improve their communicative and emotive skills.

We have one life to live—it’s worth taking a risk and celebrating the triumph rather than watching the clock tick and waiting to thrive on things that might happen or not happen.

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