You could live your entire life with no risks taken. Nothing would happen to you, sure, but that's the crux of it all, isn't it? Nothing will happen to you. If you're someone who desires a small modicum of change, then you best not sit around all day hoping for it to come. Real change comes from actions, acting as steps, leading to the mountaintop of true, personal development. Most times, that involves risk.
Reddit user, u/Mr_Jennings_30, wanted to know how we should all step up when they asked:
Even If It Tastes Bad, Do It
Trying something new or outside your comfort zone at a restaurant, or cooking something you normally don't. Very little risk, but you might find something you really like. It's kinda funny how much courage that can take for certain people I know.
Pack It On Up
GiphyMoving out of your sh-tty home town.
You can't grow roses in spoiled dirt.
I did this, and took a huge leap of faith. I moved to try and make it as a musician, and five years later after my move, I'm not a musician, but I am now an international gogo dancer, which I never knew I would ever be, because I used to HATE dancing.
Moving out of your home town was hard, weird, but so f-cking rewarding.
Are Your Feelings Worth More Than Knowing?
Talking to that girl. Go ahead. Don't be afraid. Pepper spray only hurts for 20 minutes or so.
Haha. But seriously. Every time I see a guy cry on here about talking to a girl, I'm amazed. In most of the circumstances, you won't even see this person again. The worst they can do is say no (I guess they can insult you, but 99% of people won't do that and for the 1% that do - that just makes them look like an asshole to any decent human being).
I'm a gay girl. I approach girls pretty frequently. No one has ever been a d-ck to me. I've never died. They don't get offended if they're straight. I don't get offended if they're not interested. I've made good friends this way! Just set your ego aside and roll with it.
Feel Out The Conversation, You Might Be Surprised
This may be a small one but I feel most people don't try: Starting a conversation with a stranger. Even just making a small comment to someone could end up brightening both of your days!
I talk to strangers all the time, and I can tell within literally one sentence whether the other person is they type of person who doesn't mind a chat.
I'd say probably at least 20-30 percent of the time people give off a vibe that says 'please don't continue this conversation' and then it fizzles after one comment.
No harm no foul.
Its only when people keep talking when one person clearly doesn't want to that it gets awkward.
Always Have Something Lined Up First
Changing your job if you don't like your old one.
I feel like this is a dangerous one if you're not careful about it.
My friend's mother worked at an elementary school as a teacher's assistant. She had a high school diploma and worked full time doing recess duty, looking after the kids and helping a teacher in the classroom with whatever. She had a 401k, health benefits, and was entitled to a pension once she retired. She got tired of her job and up and quit without having anything else lined up or a clue about what she wanted to work in. She ended up basically unemployed, just worked part-time gigs here or there. She was in her 40s when she decided to try something else.
By far, this was the worst thing she could have done with looking to pursue another job because she had nothing else lined up. She wanted to return to her old job after 3 months and was told she was no longer qualified because she wasn't bilingual.
It's good to pursue a new path, just make sure to have something worthwhile lined up first.
She got tired of her job and up and quit without having anything else lined up or a clue about what she wanted to work in.
I think this is where she screwed up. Nothing wrong about taking the risk and changing jobs, but make sure you have that new job lined up before quitting your current one if you need the income and benefits.
There Are No Restrictions Or Guidelines
Travelling by yourself. It can be weird at first, but once you realize you literally get to do everything you want to do it's great. Feel hungover? Do nothing or go sit in a park. Want to meet people? Go to a pub and introduce yourself as a tourist. I would recommend festival times of year like Christmas Markets for meeting people.
"Do more."
Top 2 things that i've learned growing older:
- Talking to the person you'd like to get to know better. Be it that one girl you're into, or even just a stranger if you want to get to know people.
- Embracing change/new opportunities even if it's scary or difficult. Jump into that cold water and don't settle for the easy way. Enhances your life and experience, and not going after these things usually leads to regret and a life less exciting.
Actually, not doing these things bear a greater risk than going for it, in a way. Do more.
If You Made A Thing, Share It!
Posting that art/music/meme/whatever content you made
unless your community is toxic ofc
"...Sooner Is Better Than Later."
GiphyThe broad based stock market by investing in index funds.
I grew up being told by my parents that the stock market was SUPER HARD and RISKY and that a lot of research was involved before getting started. They were wrong and I waited too long before starting - if anyone reading this has a disposable income, don't hesitate like I did, even if you're just microinvesting through a round-ups app or putting in a couple hundred bucks every 6 months, sooner is better than later.
The funny thing with money is that once it's not in your account it's easier to think it's not yours to spend anymore. Investing is like buying yourself a 30th or 40th birthday present, you won't regret it.
Unlike introverts who tend to shy away from engaging in random discussions, those who are comfortable–or too comfortable–in their own skin love to get all chatty.
That doesn't mean they have anything significant to say.
"What’s the weirdest thing someone casually told you as if it were totally normal?"
People whom you don't know tend to overshare as these Redditors experienced.
A High Request
"A story from a friend - in Colorado, someone once asked, 'Could you watch my wolves, I can pay you in weed.'"
"There's a lot to unpack in that question!"
– surlymoe
"You don't unpack wolves, you keep them together."
– hwarang_
Unsolicited Prediction
"Husband (30) and I were pushing our shopping cart out of the grocery store when a random man (who honestly looked like dumbledore) looked at my husband and said 'take my hat, you're gonna need it, you'll be bald very soon.' Obviously my husband didn't take it. It was super odd of him to say because my husband had a FULL head of hair."
"Three months later, my husband was diagnosed with a condition that made him lose all of his hair. Weird coincidence."
– hollyjollyaf
Self-Casting
"A guy once told me how he loved the feeling of wearing casts, so he'd put casts on himself- for days or weeks on end. Even if it meant he couldn't drive and would be stuck at home the entire time. He'd use vacation time just to wear full leg & arm casts."
– Present_Dust_2308
Homophobic Homosexual
A homophobic guy I know: 'Being gay is a choice.'"
"I said something like - ok, choose to be gay for a day, an hour, a single minute if you can."
"Guy - That's easy, I'm attracted to men all the time, I just choose to only like girls because I'm not gay."
"Me - Ummm..."
– discostud1515
Longheld Grudge
"Once, an older woman came up to me on the street, took hold of my wrists and simply said 'they ripped out my afterbirth', and then carried on walking."
– JennyW93
"It's strange to grab strangers. But one day in Walmart, my granny walked ahead of me, and reached to grab me to show me something, without looking and she was pulling on an old lady's arm obliviously, and the old lady's eyes were like O.O."
"My grandma didn't even apologize, she just let go and yelled at me to stay closer."
– chzygorditacrnch
A Hairdresser-In-Training
"I was getting my hair done this last weekend by my daughter at her cosmetology school. One of her fellow students was excited to meet me. She talked nonstop and eventually told me that she has hemorrhoids and that she has her husband push them back in. So much TMI from a stranger!"
– Digjam823
You never know about the personal lives of people you see on a regular basis.
Squeaky Clean
"I had a college professor on the first day of class say that she is obsessed with Q-tips and cleaning her ears and that her family has to limit her to 3 a day-"
– lokeilou
Here's The Story...
"That they have 6 kids, all with different dads & each dad is in prison."
– ChyCgx2
"I once had a coworker who had seven kids with five different women and he'd constantly complain about how most of his paycheck went to child support. You uh, dug your own grave, pal. I'm really not sympathetic to your plight."
– apocalypticradish
It's the end of the world as we know it.
End Of Civilization
"I know a guy, we don't talk often but due to business we cross paths on occasion. More or less every time we talk he asks if I'm ready for the total societal collapse coming next week, or Tuesday, or at the end of the month.. and so on."
"I just tell him that it's not gonna happen; he usually then asks about my "crystal ball" so I remind him that I've been right every time."
– rkpjr
Zombie Apocalypse
"I went to a ComicCon type event in my city years ago(Walking Dead was a new show, first season for reference) and went to a panel about zombies. They talked about historical zombie lore, the first zombie movies, and the exciting first season of the new show Walking Dead, with some actors on the panel. When they opened it up to the audience for questions one of the first ones was, 'what kind of zombies do you predict we’ll have in a real zombie apocalypse? (Fast vs slow)'…panelists don’t really know how to answer, each gives their personal favorite or worst case scenario. Then we get to, 'What do you think the timeline is for the start of a coming zombie apocalypse?' Panelists are kind of like….? Talk about how things usually play out fiction."
“'No, but exactly WHEN do you think we’ll need to be fully prepared for zombies in real life?' Like, guys, these are actors and media studies academics, first of all they don’t have the level of belief you do and second, the people you should be asking about this stuff are probably biologists."
– AlternativeAcademia
Whenever I feel threatened by a homeless person who is pressuring me to hand over them cash, I tell them, "I''m allergic to corn."
The random phrase throws them and in the brief moment they assess what they heard I'm afforded more time to distance myself from them.
It always works, especially when they realize I'm all kinds of crazy and not worth targeting.
