What You Risk by Living

“A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.”
 — John A. Shedd

Lately, the concept of risk has been more prevalent in my conversations with friends and family.

We’d speak of career breaks, working abroad and even the friction of starting afresh.

I don’t think this situation is unique to us, either. As we grow older, we accumulate more responsibilities and subsequently, become more risk-averse.

But the desire to achieve things and live life is still there.

I’m not discounting the weight of the responsibilities that loom over our heads either.

Saving up for a house, a wedding or paying off a debt can put a temporary (or often permanent) chokehold on our ambitions.

So how do we navigate these decisions?

How do we ensure that our biggest life events don’t restrict us from life?

I don’t know.

I’m yet to brave those waters and I can’t give you honest advice until I do.

I’d love to hear if you have any thoughts or advice on the matter.

Otherwise, I’ll leave you with this quote:

“So we shall let the reader answer this question for himself: who is the happier man, he who has braved the storm of life and lived or he who has stayed securely on shore and merely existed?”
— Hunter S. Thompson