Risking it All to Take That Step…Or are You?

 
Sometimes we avoid taking certain actions because of the risk of failure. It's a part of being human. Often, though, we let ourselves be stopped by the perceived risk, or the perceived cost of failure, without putting the risk in its proper context.
 
I used to go "bouldering" at a nearby park. Demolition (to build the Arkansas River spillway, I think) decades ago left a lot of exposed rock face, and in the spring I used to head up there with some buddies to drink beer and climb rocks. (Fortunately, most of the rock faces are only 3-5 meters high, so we weren't being that reckless. We thought we were pretty impressive, though, climbing with a beer in one hand. Then we met a one-armed man doing the same thing.)
 
There was one spot in the park that proved interesting: a place where two 5-meter cliffs came to within less than than a meter of each other. The distance between them was so small any adult could easily step across without even breaking stride. You had to be aware of the drop, of course, but otherwise it was a quick step and onward.
 
What happened, though, was that people would treat that short open space as almost impassable. Many would never step over it, choosing to remain on the side they were on rather than take the step to the other side. They could see that the gap was incredibly narrow. They would even agree, if asked, that the gap was less than their normal walking stride. But they wouldn't step over it.
 
To be fair, the first time I came to it, I paused to consider it too. I think anyone would. A 5-meter drop down a rough, stone cliff, to land on more rock, is definitely a cost of failure that should be considered. But how many times a day or week do we walk along a busy street, often less than a meter away from vehicles hurtling along at speeds that would be fatal if they hit us? That's another situation where a single misstep could put you in a lot of danger, and yet most people never even think about it. Why? Familiarity? Obliviousness? A mix of both? Once I actually stepped across that gap, though, like everyone else who would just take the step, from then on I could take it at a run. Just pay attention to where you are, and take it in stride.
 
One obvious lesson is that some people just don't like risk, and avoid it when the perceived cost of failure is just too high–even if the real *chance* of failure is miniscule. They only see what *could* go wrong, and they let that stop them.
 
Another lesson is that I could never get anyone to take that step who didn't want to. They had to decide for themselves.
 
But that never stopped me from trying to point out how safe and easy the whole thing was, and how little risk there really was.
 
I'm stubborn, I guess, and yet optimistic. I really do believe that anyone can achieve whatever they want. But *they* have to believe it too.
 
-David
 
NOTE: This was originally posted on my Joe Indie blog in 2004.
 
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