Risk Taking – 3 Thought-Provoking Questions
As a colleague of Nan’s, I frequently post here when things grab my attention about today’s workplace and sometimes, life. A few weeks ago, I escaped the last of this cold winter and visited some family in Florida. While there, I found myself in the pool and happened to overhear a conversation between two older gentlemen about one of their sons. The son recently resigned from a very good job. His father said, “I don’t what being ‘happy’ has to do with his job. You and I worked our entire lives for our family; put a roof over our families’ heads and food on the table. We never thought of being ‘happy’ at work mattered.”
I had mixed emotions: sadness for the two men that being happy at work was something they didn’t even consider (I know times were different, this isn’t a criticism); concern for the son, who is unemployed and admiration too; he took a thoughtful risk to bring more happiness into his work life.
John Burroughs, American naturalist and essayist says, “Leap, and the net will appear. “ This is one of those messages, easy to say, challenging to do. How do you know when to take a risk and LEAP and when is the best decision to stay right where you are?
There are many considerations. I’m going to focus on a single aspect – Does it matter?