It occurred to me today that the thought of being daring is much scarier than actually being daring.

So, the real point of this post was to talk about the risk that I took a couple of days ago. I committed to opening my writing up to a larger audience. It wasn’t something that I was particularly excited about doing, because of the risk involved in sharing what I’m writing with other people. Previous to my big risk, there was only a handful of people who knew about the writing that I was doing and had access to reading it for themselves. Those people were being positive about what I was doing, and I was comfortable with them –and only them– seeing what I was doing.

Those people, however, were a pretty small audience.

So then, a couple of weeks ago, one of those people asked me about opening up to a bigger group. A greater chance for success and for a larger readership.

And, a greater chance for ridicule and failure.

But, as Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained.”

And so, a few days back, I said in my blog post, Inventory (Part 2), that I was going to take this bold move. And then, a couple of days ago, I did it –> I made my blog post, One Hundred, more widely available on social media. And then yesterday, I did it again, with Take A Chance (Part 1). And today, you should be reading this, the third of my posts that I’ve invited a lot more people to.

What I’ve learned from the experience of taking an audacious leap has been interesting.

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It could be that part of what we fear when we go out on a limb is that we are going to experience rejection. I would have to say that, for me and my particular example, there hasn’t been as much rejection as I was fearing –none, really– but the approval and the encouragement and the accolades were things that I wasn’t even considering as possibilities when I thought of taking this risk.

I think that’s the way that fear works, a lot of times. When it comes to taking a chance on something, we think about how it might go badly, but we don’t often look at the other side of the coin.

If you’ve not read many of my posts, I’m a big fan of looking at both sides of the coin (THIS POST and THIS POST talk about both sides of some coins).

When you think about the other side of this particular coin, it’s everything that could go so well that we aren’t thinking about when we are afraid of taking that big step. What if skydiving ends up getting me killed? What if –instead– it’s the most amazing experience of your life?!?! What if applying for that other job ends up in rejection? What if –instead– it leads you to the happiest work of your life?!?!

When we listen only to the fear, it ends up being a one-sided argument. You’ve got to give the good possibilities an opportunity to make the case for taking a bold chance.

Additionally, I do have to say that the confidence boost has been amazing. To be honest, at this point, if I’d have the chance, in the future, to encounter any rejection or negative reactions to my writing, I’d be much better prepared to deal with it, because of all of the positivity that has come my way over the last few days. I do suspect, as I continue to make progress on this writing adventure of mine, that there are going to be some let-downs.

I can say that I am much better equipped to take some additional gambles down the road, to try to make my dream come true, since I took this chance and it turned out for the best.

* * *

I think we are at our best when we are striving toward something better for ourselves, something greater than what we’ve been doing. Like I said yesterday, I don’t think America has been doing that, as of late. I do sincerely hope, for the future of this great nation, that we will find something that we can all join together to pursue, something that will unite us in a level of excitement and mutual affinity. I think it brings out the best in us, as a nation, when we are dreaming, and then, pursuing those dreams.

Taking chances can be hard, no doubt about it. The risks are a little easier when we are pursuing a dream that we believe is worth the pursuit. Remember what Kennedy said at Rice University in 1962, “We choose to do things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win…”

Staying safe and comfortable doesn’t usually lead to greater things –> for example, I probably could have been publishing my writings for a larger audience weeks ago, if not for the fear of what might happen. Thanks to all of you for reading these, and I appreciate the kind thoughts and compliments.

So for you, I would say this: take the next step. Go the next mile. Find that thing that you’ve been working at, and the progress has kind of stalled out, and figure out what the next daring advancement is for you to make. It’s in the adventure that we discover of what we are really capable.

Stop playing it safe. Take the chance.