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In today’s session, we delve into the age-old dilemma: should you risk it or regret it? The truth is, avoiding risks often leads to a heavier burden of regret than taking chances, even if things don’t work out. Taking risks opens the door to growth, learning, and ultimately, personal transformation. Mistakes aren’t failures—they’re opportunities for your brain to rewire itself and gain valuable insights. Embracing calculated risks and resilience in the face of setbacks will help you avoid a life filled with “what-ifs.” Life itself is risky, so why not make your risks count?

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Risk It or Regret It – Life Stories 137

Let’s tackle a dilemma we all face at some point: should we risk it or regret it?

The Choice We All Face: Risk It or Regret It

When you’re at a crossroads, unsure whether to leap or hold back, the fear of regret can be paralyzing. It might feel safer to stick to what’s familiar, but here’s the truth: not taking a chance often leads to a heavier burden of regret than failure ever could. It might seem counterintuitive—avoiding risks seems like the prudent choice, right? But time and time again, research and experience show us that people regret the chances they didn’t take far more than the risks that didn’t pan out.

Let’s say, for example, you were considering investing in a stock last year but decided against it. This year, that stock crashed, and you felt relieved that you dodged a bullet. But fast forward a few more years, and let’s imagine that the market rebounded and that stock doubled. That decision not to act wasn’t just about the money—it’s about the what-ifs that haunt you later on. The “what if I had gone for it?” becomes a lingering shadow.

Why Mistakes Matter More Than You Think

When you take risks, whether it’s launching a new business or deciding to move to a new city, you’re giving your brain a chance to learn. Mistakes aren’t just missteps; they’re powerful learning tools. When your brain registers an error, it fires off electrical signals called synapses—these signals literally reshape your brain.

Here’s what happens: When you make a mistake, your brain triggers an error-related negativity (ERN) response. This happens before you’re even conscious of the error—your brain senses it before you do! It’s followed by a second wave called the PE response, which draws your attention to it. This is where learning happens.

If you never take any risks, you never trigger this process, and your brain misses out on the essential wiring that helps it grow. The cliché “learn from your mistakes” is rooted in the reality of how our brains work. So, while avoiding risks might feel safe, you’re actually stalling your growth. And as the years roll by, regret will loom larger.

The Aging Brain and Why Fear Grows With Time

Here’s something to consider: as we get older, our brains become more cautious. Imagine the prefrontal cortex of your brain as a control center filled with cells that either encourage you to go for it (excitatory cells) or caution you to hold back (inhibitory cells). When you’re young, the inhibitory cells are like hibernating bears. They barely show up.

But as you age, these bears wake up. They start taking over, making you more risk-averse and cautious. They send out signals asking, “But what if?” over and over, making every action feel riskier than it really is. And that’s why, as time goes on, you feel more fearful of taking risks—even ones that, rationally, you know aren’t that dangerous.

Understanding Real Risk vs. Perceived Fear

The tricky part is that fear doesn’t always correlate with true risk. Public speaking might make your palms sweat and your heart race, while driving a car feels routine. But statistically speaking, driving is far more dangerous. It’s a strange phenomenon: we fear the things we haven’t done much more than the things we’re familiar with.

So how do you change your relationship with risk? You take more of them. The more risks you take, the less scary they become. Your brain starts adapting, those inhibitory cells relax, and before you know it, risks that once seemed monumental now feel manageable.

How to Start Taking Risks

If the idea of taking big risks seems daunting, start with small ones:

Learn something new. When you stretch your brain with new information, you weaken the inhibitory cells’ control.
Change a small habit. Go to a new coffee shop. Start a new hobby. Even tiny changes can make a huge impact.
Ask yourself, what’s the real risk here? Break it down. Are you afraid of public failure? Judgment? Realizing what’s truly at stake makes it easier to handle.

Building Resilience to Bounce Back

One of the key components of risk-taking is resilience. Because let’s face it: some risks will end in failure. The difference between those who rise again and those who stay down is how well they can bounce back. Resilience is the ability to absorb failure, learn from it, and try again.

Embrace the Reality: It’s All Risky

Author Jim Rohn once said, “It’s all risky. The minute you were born, it got risky.” Life itself is one giant risk. Everything—falling in love, starting a business, having kids, or even choosing to stay single—carries risk. If you’re going to take risks no matter what, why not make them count? Why not risk something that could transform your life?

The Final Takeaway

So here’s your mission for today: think of one small risk you can take right now. It doesn’t have to be huge. Maybe it’s speaking up in a meeting. Maybe it’s sending that email you’ve been avoiding. Maybe it’s trying a new approach to an old problem.

Because at the end of the day, it’s the risks we don’t take that haunt us. And you, are meant for more than a life of “what-ifs.”

Until next time, take that leap and crush it!

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