Motivation Information

How Much Risk Is Too Much To Take?


The ladder was braced against the railings going to the basement. I started climbing up. I had to get to the ceiling and this was my Rube Goldberg way of doing it without having to put up scaffolding. I made it up two or three rungs before coming to my senses. It would be so easy for the railing to break and for me to go tumbling down the stairs.

You see I was trying to paint my living room with a cathedral ceiling. I had to get up near the apex at 12 feet. The problem was that there were stairs going to the basement and nowhere to safely put the ladder. So I tried bracing it against the railing before giving up. I was trying to put primer over a quote painted in black that said, "It's not how far you fall, but how high you bounce." It would have been so ironic for me fall from the ladder while trying to paint over that quote. Believe me, I wouldn't have bounced very high.

How much risk is too much? I calculated the risk and found the risk was too high for the reward. I ended up taping a paintbrush to a long pole, and I got the quote painted just fine. Just a little ingenuity.

In the book, "Mental Judo" by Lance Lager, he talks about falling also. "In physical judo, practically the first thing you learn is how to fall. ? In Mental Judo, as in physical judo, learning how to 'fall' is important. I don't mean, of course, falling on your rump, but in a figurative sense falling is falling. Life is a series of ups and downs, and none of us is our imperfection can avoid taking a fall from time to time. When you don't reach your goal, when you are rejected or ignored or just outwitted for the moment, you are experiencing a fall. It is extremely important that you learn how to fall gracefully and be able to snap right back up with a minimum of effort and without fear of the next fall or concern about an injured ego. Just as in skiing or ice skating, if you are not falling, you are not learning or trying something new."

We are bound to fall, whether through our own fault or the fault of someone we depended on, be it life at home or in the workplace. What do we do when we fall? Sit and cry? Get mad? Resign ourselves to the fact that this is the way life is always going to be and that success will never come my way? It can be happen in any of these scenarios.

I've taken some tumbles myself. A big tumble came last summer when I was doing a job search. I had a good meeting with a company that was looking for someone to do business development for them. I had a very good first interview and was invited back for a second one. The owner of the company called the morning of the second meeting and said he had to postpone the meeting until after the weekend because of time deadlines. Okay.

On Monday I called and left a message. No returned call. The next day I tried the phone and an email. Nothing. On Wednesday, I got ahold of the second in command who was in on the meeting. He said I needed to talk with the owner, and that he would call me back. I heard nothing more. I gave one more attempt on Friday and never heard a word.

Did I do something to offend them? Did they think I was a loser who couldn't possibly help them? Was I overly naďve and put too many eggs in this one basket? I don't know what happened and may never find out. But what I learned from that experience was to bounce back and keep doing what I needed to do in order to support my family.

I decided a while after this incident to restart my business, which is another excellent opportunity to fall. But it hasn't been so far. I've been meeting a lot of new people and getting new clients on a weekly basis. But it is a risk.

I was talking with a gentleman who had owned his own business for thirty-five years. He told me, "I didn't go into business for myself to make a lot of money. I just wanted to control my own life."

Life is risky. We are learning in the current economy that it can be risky to even have a day-to-day job with a company. Risk can be fun, and it can be ulcer producing. So, take a bit of a risk right now. It doesn't have to be something big. It takes a while to develop your risk muscles. It can start with little stuff and then move onto something bigger.

Dave Carlson is the owner of Venturewide Internet Marketing, specializing in helping businesses succeed on the Web through search engine optimization and pay per click marketing. He can be reached at 720-922-3124.

See his Web site at http://www.venturewide.com.

© 2005, Dave Carlson, All Rights Reserved


MORE RESOURCES:

Irish Win Record 39th Straight at Home
New York Times, United States - 16 hours ago
“We knew coming into this game that there was something to play for and that gave us a little extra motivation,” said McAlarney, who led the Irish with 32 ...


Chiefs provide Raiders true motivation to run
Sacramento Bee,  USA - Nov 30, 2008
"It gives us a little extra motivation to play for because when you have hard times, it's tough to find that extra motivation. We're playing at home against ...


SBR Forum

AU should have plenty of motivation
Times-Journal, AL - Nov 28, 2008
Then again, the Tigers should take the field at Bryant-Denny Stadium with plenty of motivation. - With a win, Auburn will become bowl eligible. ...
Iron Bowl is motivation for injured Auburn players Tuscaloosa News (subscription)
Tide has been scouting Florida for awhile Anniston Star (subscription)
Loss Will Linger Says McNeil BamaMag.com
Opelika Auburn News - Tuscaloosa News (subscription)
all 1,087 news articles


Don't let motivation to conserve fall with fuel prices
Bloomington Pantagraph,  USA - Nov 29, 2008
When gasoline was selling for $4 a gallon there was greater motivation to address those problems, just as there was when the fuel crisis of the 1970s hit ...


Seattle Post Intelligencer

Motivation, Tebow and Percy-cution
GatorCountry.com, FL - Nov 28, 2008
Percy Harvin turns on the jets and heads to the end zone against South Carolina/Gator Country Photo by Tim Casey. The year was 1968 and the fifth-ranked ...
No. 2 Gators hammer rival FSU again, 45-15 The Associated Press
Storming to Atlanta: No. 2 UF heads for showdown with No. 1 'Bama ... Independent Florida Alligator
Tebow: The Ultimate Warrior DawgsBite.com
Swamp Things - Gatorsports.com
all 945 news articles


Disease is motivation, not obstacle, for Center Grove senior
Indianapolis Star, United States - Nov 28, 2008
But I use that as a motivation to work harder and push myself through conditioning." That dedication is inspiring to others around him, Center Grove coach ...


Essence of a bargain is the urgency to sell
Atlanta Journal Constitution,  USA - 4 hours ago
It’s all about the motivation of the seller. The vast majority of sellers in any real estate market are, in my opinion, mostly testing the waters. ...


Longmont Daily Times-Call

Colorado kicks itself after loss
Omaha World-Herald, NE - Nov 28, 2008
It's going to be hard to watch, but it's going to give us motivation to make sure it never happens again." Colorado (5-7, 2-6) looked bowl-ready after the ...
Buffs say heartbreak will be motivation Boulder Daily Camera (subscription)
'Angry' Buffs Stunned By Last-Minute Loss Nebraska StatePaper.com
Hypolite delivers for CU Daily Camera
all 17 news articles


JON FRIEDMAN'S MEDIA WEB Murdoch, explained by Newser's Michael Wolff
MarketWatch - 7 hours ago
1) Murdoch's motivation and strategy are a constant source of fascination to Wolff, whose volume about the executive is appropriately titled, ...


HIGH SCHOOL HOOPS, REGION 4: Cougars use two-win season as motivation
Bowling Green Daily News,  United States - Nov 29, 2008
By WES WATT, For the Daily News RUSSELLVILLE — Don’t blame the Logan County boys’ basketball team if it wants to forget last season’s 2-25 campaign. ...

Motivation - Google News

home | site map
© 2006