6 Reasons Taking a Risk is More Important as We Age

Rave:

My muse has taken a break from musing.  Yep, she (that would be my 94 year old Mom) made a conscious decision to take a risk.  She elected to have her right hip replaced in February.  She had her left hip done a few years ago and came through with flying colors.  Not so much, this time. According to the doctor, she is two years older and healing takes longer.  “Well, at your age…” is how he began his conversation. (That phrase is the subject for a blog, another time.)  The truth is she has friends who elected not to have the surgery.  They were in good health but the risks, they felt, were too great.  Consequently, they will be living with high-powered drugs that only mask the severe pain, for the rest of their lives.  Not Mom’s idea of quality of life.  So, even though it’s taking her longer to feel great, she has no regrets, which started me thinking about risk taking.

 

Rant:

 

Here I am, right this minute, taking a risk.  I’ve been so focused on Mom’s recovery that the creative flow vanished.  Being exhausted from it all hasn’t helped, either.  My first reaction was panic.  What if it never comes back?  Well, like my Mom, if this isn’t perfect and it takes longer for the full force of the ‘flow’ to return, then so be it.  Ready or not, I have to jump in.

 

A good friend said, “Risk taking is a conscious decision.” I agree.  When we were younger, most of us thought less about the consequences associated with taking a risk.  As time goes by, we tend to forget how elated and proud we were when something we jumped into worked out.  It seems now we concentrate more on the “I think I’ll remain in my comfort zone because I don’t need to prove anything anymore” mode.

 

The questions we ask, before taking on something new, change.  10 or 20 years ago we might have said, “What do I have to lose?”  Now the questions become, What do I really want? What am I missing? Am I happy?  If the answer, especially to the last question, is no, take a deep breath and dive right in.

 

Taking a risk:

• Keeps you in touch with you
• Keeps you interesting
• Keeps you involved in life
• Keeps you healthy
• Keeps you engaged with others
• Keeps you excited

Attitude:

Set a goal

Take that trip

Move

Take the class

Cut your hair/change the color

Get healthier

Speak up

Go on a blind date/On-line date

Learn to dance

Engage in eye contact

Smile a lot

Laugh more

The list goes on and on.

 

Really, if you think about it, what do you have to lose?

 

Start today.

 

 

 

Originally posted 2014-03-31 20:56:34.