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