A recent action by a good friend and colleague made me revisit Seth Godin’s blog on Risk. Below find it a bit paraphrased:
But it got me thinking about the difference between apparent and actual risk, and how that choice affects just about everything we do.
Apparent risk is what keeps someone working at a big company, even if it's doing layoffs. It feels safer to stay there than to do the (apparently) insanely risky thing and start a new venture.
Apparent risk is what gets someone who is afraid of plane crashes to drive, even though driving is more dangerous.
Apparent risk is avoiding the chance that people will laugh at you and instead backing yourself into the very real possibility that you're going to become obsolete or irrelevant.
When things get interesting is when the apparently risky is demonstrably safer than the actually risky. That's when we sometimes become uncomfortable enough with our reliance on the apparent to focus on the actual.
I wonder if my good colleague considered the difference before acting. A pity, as a bit of thought could have halted a rash action (based on apparent risk) leading to significant changes in her, her families and her colleagues lives.
The positive of the situation is that it did however get me to question my actions and why I respond the way I do to situations. A great reality check!
But it got me thinking about the difference between apparent and actual risk, and how that choice affects just about everything we do.
Apparent risk is what keeps someone working at a big company, even if it's doing layoffs. It feels safer to stay there than to do the (apparently) insanely risky thing and start a new venture.
Apparent risk is what gets someone who is afraid of plane crashes to drive, even though driving is more dangerous.
Apparent risk is avoiding the chance that people will laugh at you and instead backing yourself into the very real possibility that you're going to become obsolete or irrelevant.
When things get interesting is when the apparently risky is demonstrably safer than the actually risky. That's when we sometimes become uncomfortable enough with our reliance on the apparent to focus on the actual.
I wonder if my good colleague considered the difference before acting. A pity, as a bit of thought could have halted a rash action (based on apparent risk) leading to significant changes in her, her families and her colleagues lives.
The positive of the situation is that it did however get me to question my actions and why I respond the way I do to situations. A great reality check!
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