Take a Risk: Statistically You Always Have a Chance of Success

Yes, we are really making this decision

Yes, we are sad to leave something that has been such an important part of our lives.Yes, we might be crazy.

But now is the time to make a change.

That’s what we love about life. And choices. And our ability to make choices. And how the choices of our past have supported us, taught us lessons, created amazing memories and allowed us to move forward.

We are moving from Cape Cod, MA to Portland, Maine.

We built this house eighteen years ago. We designed this house. We love this house. This house has provided a safe place to store our worldly possessions when we went backpacking around the world for a year. This house was our ‘safe space’ when we needed a break from the weekly overwhelm of our corporate jobs. This house has hosted many a visitor – because who wouldn’t want to visit their daughter/son/sister/brother/aunt/uncle/friend/football buddy/random nice people who have a house on Cape Cod?

And yet now is the time for something different. Something that matches our lifestyle now. Something that energizes our businesses. Something that energizes us. Some place that has a few more restaurant choices that are open during the ‘off season’.

Are we doing the ‘right’ thing? Will we miss our little slice of Cape Cod heaven? Will our move provide the energy we are looking for?

We don’t know. Because that is how the whole life choice thing works.

You don’t know if your new choice is ‘right’. But then again, you don’t know that your new choice is ‘wrong’. And, while we are discussing right and wrong, do we actually know what ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ actually is?

Life is about growing. Life is about learning. Life is about making the scary decisions and growing and learning from them. Some of your decisions become the best things you have ever done in your life! Some decisions go down as ‘never again’ learnings.

Anyone a Brene Brown fan? Because now would be a great time to take a break and read what she has to say about going into the dark cave (that’s a Star Wars reference, by the way).

Rj and I quit our jobs in 2003 because we wanted to travel around the world with backpacks. We were 35 years old. We were well established in our careers. We were both on the forward and upward track at our jobs. But it was time to see the world.

This is an example of a scary life decision that became one of the best things we had ever done in our lives.

Many years back Rj and I spent $2000+ on a wrap around Italian leather couch with automatic recliners on each end and a hidden refrigerator so you never had to get off the couch to get a beer.

This is an example of a life decision that went down as a ‘never again’ learning.

In each of the above examples we went with what felt right for us – even though there was no lack of nay-sayers and non-supporters.

Interestingly enough, more people supported our wrap around Italian leather couch decision than our trip around the world decision.

But I’m sure there support was because the couch was a safer decision. Less money investment. We kept the safety of good jobs. Less physical and mental stress. Less risk.
But the point of making life changing decisions is to change your life.

If you believe that there is an opportunity for you to be happier than you currently are, then you have to take a chance on a scary decision.

Every decision we make has a 50/50 chance of being a great decision or a bad decision We have been conditioned to believe that any decision we make that is out of the ‘normal’, or results in more than one person questioning your sanity, is a bad decision. And so it follows that we assume any fun, crazy idea is a bad decision.

But no! There is just as good a chance that this decision is a great decision. 50/50 chance, right?? Who cares what other people say – if you are energized and inspired by your crazy decision, then why can’t it be a great decision!!

I do a lot of life coaching and one of my most fun challenges to my clients is an exercise called “Ask The Question”. In the professional world, we are afraid to ask for things we need, right? Like time off. Or to not answer emails after midnight. Or to not attend a conference call at 5am because, well, SLEEP?! So we continue to work, and work, and work, and never ask our boss for what we really need.

Because we assume the answer will be no.
If you never ask the questions, the answer will always be no.

You have to ask! You have to take a chance! After all, statistically (for all those logic brains out there) you have a 50/50 chance. There is a 50 percent chance the answer could be YES! Wow. Imagine how your life would change.

Sure, there is still a 50 percent chance the answer will be no. But frankly, you’ve already prepared yourself for that reality, and it doesn’t chance anything (except your ability to get 8 hours of needed sleep).

Or….maybe it does change everything because you mustered up the courage to ask the question. And you feel so empowered and confident you just may do it again in the future~ And maybe, just maybe, you’ll get a yes answer the next time.

Rj and I don’t know if this big change we are making is right, wrong, good or bad. What we know is that we get excited and energized about the opportunity to live in our new condo in the West End of Portland. So for now, that is enough for us to believe that we have made a great decision.

I will miss sitting on our porch having a cup of tea/glass of wine and looking at our beautiful trees.

I do look forward to finding our new cup of tea/glass of wine routine. Because to have multiple awesome tea drinking/wine sipping spots in our life experience pocket is better than just one.

I ask you to take a leap of faith this week: Ask a question you want to ask. Make a small scary decision. Do something crazy, indulgent, against your normal. See what happens. See how you feel.