Bold and Brilliant why you should take risks

how many of you

have heard of joan of arc known as the

maid of orleans

joan of arc was a prominent leader whose

military genius led the french to

victory

over the english during the lancastrian

phase of the hundred years war

a woman who took tremendous risks to

save her country

joan transcended society’s gender

restrictions

and defied society’s expectations her

exemplary character

undoubtedly epitomizes the phrase bold

and brilliant and she has been

immortalized in legends

centuries past her lifetime but

what is being bold and brilliant really

mean

to me it’s a willingness to take risks

after meticulous planning and thought

it’s having the courage to try

unconventional things without the

restraints of mainstream thinking

or convention it’s having the confidence

to reject the peer pressure and

expectations of

others but how many people

would call themselves risk takers how

many people

would even want to xenophobia the fear

of the unknown

serves as shackles for complacency

within our lives

although taking risks propels you

forward and empowers personal growth

most choose to stay within our comfort

zones

not because we lack the ability to

succeed

because we lack the will and succumb to

fear

of failure we believe that

if we don’t take any risks we’ll be on

the safe

obstacle free path to success

we deceive ourselves into assuming that

if we do take risks

we’ll fail and carelessly jeopardize our

futures

in reality this could not be further

from the truth

in the words of martin zuckerberg the

founder of facebook

the only strategy that is guaranteed to

fail

is not taking risks risk taking will

lead you to success

but only if you learn to evaluate rich

risks

but only if you learn to evaluate which

risks are the correct ones to take

brilliant risk takers make informed

decisions by first

assessing the possible outcomes and

consequences

through an understanding of the odds

they maximize their chances of success

by mitigating the probability and

magnitude of failure

being bold doesn’t mean one recklessly

charges into the abyss

without a second thought rather it’s the

willingness to take risks

based on informed consideration rational

analysis

and calculated action this mindset

enables them to be

versatile and adaptable to new

opportunities

instead of being locked down on a

singular path

allowing them to maximize the utility of

opportunities

in ways that most could only dream of

finally risk taking involves sacrifice

brilliant risk takers make a judgment of

what they value most

and what they are willing to give up

when taking risks

there is always the chance of failure

it’s a

statistical inevitability that

eventually

something will go wrong thus to have a

hope of long-term success

with risk-taking one must first realize

that being brave

and being bold are not contradictory but

rather

two pillars to success

what has always frustrated me is a lack

of flexibility in the education system

most students are trained to fear

failure we learn to be scared of

receiving

a bad grade on a test we’re taught by

our teachers to

always follow the textbook and write

mark’s scheme style answers and exams

we’re encouraged not to take unorthodox

risks

all of this pressure causes us to fear

risk taking

instead of embracing it first of all

the education system doesn’t encourage

independent thinking

you rarely get the chance to dive into a

problem by yourself

and find solutions through trial and

error you’re taught

one set method and that’s it you never

get the chance to try finding

unconventional methods in the classroom

to encourage risk-taking

there must be a change in the way that

our youth

and our future generations think and act

when we grow up we won’t be able to

solve the prominent issues of today

by simply following a set exam answer

when we grow up there is no textbook

that we can fall back to

we have to be the ones who take charge

of our own destinies

by paving our own paths and becoming

pioneers

most students and youth are shielded

from the full consequences

of society you have a safety net in your

parents

and your teachers support to have

invested your piggy bank into a personal

business

venture and failure may be depressing

but you likely still have a roof on your

head and a warm meal on the table

it’s so ironic that many only begin

exploring taking large risks

when we lose the safety net and ascend

into the chaotic world of adulthood and

wider society

if you’re a student an excellent way to

take risks within an academic context

is to try out a new activity you could

try out

a new instrument join a sports club join

a new academic competition

the options are endless here’s an

example

if you’re shy and wish to become a more

confident speaker

you could take a risk by stepping out of

your comfort zone

and participating in a model united

nations conference

an educational simulation in which

students learn about

diplomacy and international relations

if one succeeded here they would have

overcome

a weakness if they failed they would

have lost a bit of time

perhaps faced a bit of teasing from

their peers yet these consequences

are tame even laughable when one

considers that

messing up a business pitch a

performance or a speech at a public

event

could cause the entire weight of news

outlets gossip columns and wider society

to mock you

perhaps causing loss of opportunities

loss of employment

and even loss of respect taking risks

is imperative at a young age for the

costs multiply exponentially as one

grows up

and if we cuddle ourselves into avoiding

risks we’ll be forced to confront

reality

and adulthood where there’s little

sympathy

laughable mercy and no safety net

by then it’s too late

and who knows a risk could pay out in

ways unimaginable

when i was 14 i jumped through the door

and participated in the inaugural hong

kong linguistics on

pi though i had no linguistic knowledge

of any sort

i decided to give the competition a go

and learn

for i was determined to learn and there

are scan few other opportunities with

linguistics rarely taught

at secondary schools i remember my sheer

elation and thrill

the adrenaline and dopamine coursing

through my blood when i solved

my first puzzle i had triumphed

i had found the right path out of a

mind-boggling perplexing

labyrinth in the end

i won the olympia consequently i won the

opportunity to represent hong kong

at the 17th international linguistics

olympiad

there i embarked on and in there i

embarked on

an enlightening voyage deciphering

languages both cryptic

and culturally diverse young europe

middle persian west iranian and nuni

undoubtably had i not made the decision

to take the initial risk

i would never have discovered my passion

for linguistics

never had the chance to meet others who

shared my passion

and never had the opportunity to

challenge myself

and grow i’m not saying that all risks

should be taken risk takers often face

setbacks

or even elbrai failure however with new

insight

knowledge and experience they bounced

back twice as hard

and embraced lessons learned becoming a

better person for it

as thomas edison once said i have not

failed i’ve just found 10 000 ways

that won’t work do you think edison

managed to succeed by following

a conventional irregular path and

playing it safe

no key to my words don’t be afraid to

pursue unorthodox paths

to achieve your goals you never know the

ten thousand in first

way could work if taking a risk is akin

to conquering a mountain

then climb when you’ve prepared with a

map

packed climbing gear and trained your

body

come with a mindset that although you

may trip or meet unexpected obstacles

that thanks to your preparation you get

right back up

and overcome anything that’s blocking

your way

after encountering dead ends instead of

simply giving up

dare to explore alternative roads that

have never been taken

before most importantly

have the courage to take the first step

of decline

for even if you trip you shall stand

above the legions

who are too afraid to even try and once

you reach the summit

you’ll have boundless seas of

opportunity at your feet

be bold be brilliant fortune favors the

bold