People Don’t Like Risk

Why People Don’t Like Risk

Most of us were taught by our parents, and from a very early age, to be careful. We are told to look both ways before crossing the street, not to talk to strangers, not to eat what is unfamiliar and that people don’t like risk. Most parents want their kids to live longer than they think they themselves will live and believe doing so requires teaching them to be cautious about many things. It was the same for their parents and so on back through time.

This learned fear, this learned caution is one of the biggest reasons we don’t take chances in life. It’s all about self-preservation and staying safe, but there are other reasons we don’t like to take chances.

Societies have rules that its citizens must follow. Failure to do so can have dire consequences. Failure and ruin, sickness and even jail time are possible outcomes. Even if what we contemplate is legal, because we have been adhering to rules that keep us safe all of our lives, we hesitate to take chances because these rules are ingrained into our beings.

We also tend to follow the herd; in fact, we humans have an inner herd mentality. If you are on a busy city street and look up at the sky for a long period of time, you will find more and more people gather around to see exactly what you are looking at. There may be nothing of importance up there. They just want to know what the attraction is. Try it sometime. If you’re bored, it can be amusing!

So it is with taking chances. If no one else has done it before, most of us are probably not going to take the plunge. Most of us want the reassurance of seeing others experience something before we decide to go for it ourselves. This is why people check out product reviews and forums before they make purchases online. They want to know that others have successfully purchased and used products or services without a negative outcome.

These reasons we don’t like to take chances put up a proverbial stop sign anytime we encounter something that doesn’t sit well with us; anything that doesn’t feel familiar and safe. To keep ourselves safe, and because people don’t like risk, we create excuses as to why something wouldn’t be a good choice for us and shouldn’t be done.

Getting past these safety stops that are learned from our childhood is important for our continued growth and advancement. That being said, there are times when herd mentality is important and is the smart way to go.

The times we are in now are a great example of how staying safe is the smart way to go. Wearing a mask and keeping a suggested safe distance are not an admission of weakness. Taking steps to keep yourself and others safe and healthy is not surrendering; it’s just plain smart. There will be plenty of time to push the envelope of safety and risk in other ways down the road.

For now, just make sure you’re still around to do that.

Helping You Achieve Major Wellness!

Cheryl A Major, CNWC

P.S. – Please check out my new course, “Embrace Optimism” at https://EmbraceOptimism.com

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I don’t just teach this; I live it!