You Need to Take a Risk

Do you want to hear an urban legend?

A number of years ago, Arnold Palmer, the great golfer, played some golf matches in Saudi Arabia. His play greatly impressed the King of Saudi Arabia, and before Palmer left the country the king told him he would like to present him with a special gift. "What can I offer you?" the king asked. Palmer expressed his gratitude for the offer but said that he had enjoyed his visit very much and a special gift was not necessary. But the king insisted and Palmer finally said, "All right. You can give me a golf club. That would really be a nice remembrance of your hospitality." The next day, so the story goes, a messenger appeared at Palmer's hotel with the deed to a three hundred acre golf club.

What’s the moral of this story? "In the presence of the king, don't ask for small gifts."

How often do we limit ourselves by our small thinking? Many of us don’t claim our greatness enough and some of us never claim it at all!

Maybe we know we are meant for more. We know we have a purpose and passion to fulfill but that means we have to think different thoughts and take different actions. And it can feel risky and scary when we begin to think different thoughts or behave in new and different ways. We wonder what people will think of us. We worry that we won’t be able to keep up the commitment (or motivation) to sustain needed changes. We may feel some level of uneasiness about how people will react to us. We may have some anxiety about our ability to succeed. Our excuses scream loudly in our ears. We get afraid and maybe we don’t take any action at all.

Decisions we make to improve, elevate, grow, evolve, allow, unleash, unmask, start something, stop something, forgive, set boundaries (and so on) feel risky because something has to be given up and changed in order to step into something greater and live our ALIGNed life.

In June 2019, I was faced with my own risky decision when I moved from Sedona to Spokane. Even before I moved, I purchased a duplex without knowing if I’d be able to move. After all, I worked for a company in Flagstaff, AZ. And if I wasn’t able to move, then I’d need to find a tenant for half of the duplex (my daughter was going to rent the other side).

But if I did move, what about the snow in the winter? I didn’t even have a snow shovel. What about all of my furniture? I was moving to a place smaller than where I was living. What could I take and what would I need to sell or donate? How was I going to travel with two cats for over 19 hours of driving? Should I keep them in a carrier or let them roam? And how would I get them into the motel for the two nights I’d be on the road? What about finding a new primary care provider, optometrist, auto mechanic, and spiritual community? Would I fit in? Would I make friends? Would anyone come and visit me now that I’m so far away?

I had a lot of unanswered questions it felt like I was taking a big risk. And yet I was filled with excitement, anticipation, a sense of adventure, expectancy, and joy. I knew this was the right thing regardless of the gazillion questions, occasional fear, trepidation, and self-doubt that came up.

Yes, making changes can feel risky, but is it worth the risk to dream that impossible dream? To live a life of joy and fulfillment? To be passionately alive and excited about life and all it has to offer? Or would you rather play it safe in relative comfort? Is it worth the risk to live your excellence, passion, and brilliance?

The second pillar of my ALIGN Process is L, which stands for Liberate. In order to move forward, we need to liberate ourselves from our limiting beliefs, our self-sabotage, and our soul-crushing excuses. I don’t know about you, but I generally have a ton of excuses that my delightful monkey mind loves to shout at me. And in order for me to help quiet those excuses and step into the unknown, I utilize some tools and techniques. Which is where the L Pillar comes in.

Courses and offerings planned in the L Pillar include:

• Overcoming Imposter Syndrome
• Pleaser’s Guide to Standing up for Yourself
• Conquering Self-Sabotage (perfectionism, procrastination, etc.)
• Better boundaries
  
• Getting Out of Your Comfort Zone
• Saying “No” without Guilt
• Engaging a New Attitude

Do any of these resonate with what you might need at the moment? I’d love to know.

When Native American medicine men talk to the sick, they usually ask three questions:

• When was the last time you sang?
• When was the last time you danced?
• When was the last time you told your story?

So we want to risk singing our own song….we want to risk dancing  our own dance…we want to risk living the majesty of our own story.  It is uniquely ours and it uniquely perfect for us. 

I want to encourage each of you to engage in taking risks. Don’t ask for small gifts. Take that exquisite risk and embrace your greatness.

Say "YES" to yourself and take a chance on YOU!

About Janet
Janet Kingsley helps people believe in their own potential and transform their dreams into fulfilling, inspired, and prosperous realities. It’s time to say ‘yes’ to yourself and live your ALIGNed life.