Are you a risk taker? Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family? We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

Megan Grace

Up until very recently I would have said I was very risk averse. I had a comfortable job which paid the bills and I was living in my home town. My mum passed away in May and it served as a reminder of our mortality and how little time we have. I needed to shake my life up and take a bet on myself, push myself out of my comfort zone and do something which terrified me. I have been on a solo road trip around America for a month, with another month left. I knew no one here, I had only booked 1 nights stay prior to arriving and have been travelling places which I have only ever dreamed of going. Now, I think risk is essential. Without it there is no reward. Read more>>

Shaun Johnson

I used to see risk as something dangerous, to be avoided at all costs. Like many, I thought risk meant danger, and danger meant failure. But my entrepreneurial journey changed that perspective. Leaving a well-paying job to start something completely different, like an online dessert business, felt like a huge risk. But it was also a necessary step to pursue my passions. Read more>>

Mike Ramy

Risk-taking and seizing opportunities are essentially the same, and to me, the greatest risk lies in not seizing those opportunities. You can’t truly know if an action is risky until you face failure; if you succeed, then it wouldn’t be considered a risk in my view. Read more>>

 Brittany Reed

I have always pushed the limits when it comes to my life and career path. I just had this gut feeling there was something really great out there for me and I have always been determined to find it. When I was younger I knew very quickly that climbing the corporate ladder was not for me, but I did not know what exactly my path was. I have always done things unconventional and knew the outcome of the life and work/life balance that I was looking for. Now, I can finally say I have achieved that whole heartedly with creating my business and working for myself. Read more>>

Holly D.

Risk plays a large part in my life – I now believe life is about timing and chances; feeling the moment and making a decision based on how you feel in that moment, so long as you’re trying to do what is best for you. I used to be a very calculated person who always worried about the future, which would bring on so much stress. I was constantly fearing what choices will result in the better outcome later and striving for some perfect result each time. I lived in the future and not in the moment. It really took a toll on my mental health without me really noticing it. I had some unexpected things happen in my life such as health and financial changes that I unfortunately had no control over. But that’s just it – We never really know what the future holds as much as we try our best to control it. It took a special person to help me realize that as I struggled with anxiety and depression through the process. Once I accepted the difficult reality that I had no control over my health situation, I started making more sporadic (Risky) changes and today I am so thankful for that. I chose to completely quit the life I had before because it was out of my control- Which brought a new opportunity to do content creation and modeling full time whereas before, I was unpassionate about the corporate jobs I’d worked all my life – Just sailing through day to day like a robot in society. Though I’d lost financial reassurance and fought the constant “Am I doing the right thing?” mentality, I now had the time to do the actual work I’d been passionate about that I’d wanted to pursue my whole life. I am now meeting people, working with photographers, socializing. I now have the time to do photoshoots, make outfits, be creative, and travel when I’m able. Before, I was too afraid to take this risk even with good health and good money!!! I’m now in a much healthier mental state than I was before because even if at a slower pace – I’m doing what I enjoy as an unexpected tradeoff from the past person I was therefore making me a better person. Read more>>

Troy Anthony | Artist, Photographer

As an artist everything comes down to risk. The belief in yourself, the belief in your work.., it’s all risky! To truly believe in yourself so much that you want to share what you’ve created with the entire World knowing that they may not understand or even connect to your artistry is Crazy! But as artists it’s our life and the thing that gets us up in the morning.., if we even slept that night!!!! Read more>>

Lauren Mccall | Composer and Music Technologist

I think about risk when it comes to my career as the willingness to pursue new opportunities, even if they are outside of my comfort zone. Also, as many people have noticed about the arts, some doors will open and some doors won’t, but a lot of the time, it will be a numbers game, so I like to pursue opportunities even if, at first glance, I may think that I don’t fit it. Read more>>