Part 2 Maximizing Kairos opportunities: embracing risk.
A no-risk approach is the biggest risk of them all.
Hearing a speaker talk about the `pain of regret’ hit me like lightning! To try anything new is to embrace some level of risk. Regret is a negative feeling of self-condemnation for lost opportunities. It is sorrow for what has been. It can also be the wish to undo past choices. Many people have significant regrets about avoiding trying anything new or risking failure. The discomfort from making mistakes is minor compared to the pain of stagnation and the lament for missed opportunities. Instead, I would look `foolish’ in my first awkward attempts and failures rather than live with the pain of regret. Choose your pain!
Negative feelings: a trigger for self-reflection and a course correction.
Being open to new experiences invites the possibility of negative ones (including failure.) Negative experiences are part of the journey. The temptation is to retreat or bail out altogether. We will also listen to the negative or siren-like voices that would shipwreck our dreams and goals. On my first trip to India, I was excited about the possibilities. The challenges of navigating different cultures, eating, and the inevitable case of `Delhi Belly.’ Managing to navigate a culture when I was feeling ill was an awful experience. I felt the dreadful sensation of `dry retching’ while hunched over the toilet ball. My stomach continued experiencing vomit-like sensations. There was nothing left inside of me! My India trip helped to catalyse my interests, likes, and dislikes. I had a moment of laser-like clarity. I realized that what I was chasing was in Australia and not overseas.
Risk is the pathway to adventure.
Embracing risk opens possibilities for the adventures that Kairos moments bring. Some of our most interesting moments come from risk-taking. This is learning a new skill. It involves talking to a stranger. It can also mean daring to voice an opinion or applying for a new job. These moments are life-enhancing, transformative, and rewarding. They are the content of exciting stories and the memories we savour and look back upon. The joys of victory, the defeat, and the lessons that have been learned along the way. An older man looked at me and said: Youth aims to collect memories and experiences. We enjoy them in our old age.
Knowing our level of risk.
I have great admiration for people who are high-level risk-takers. The individuals you often read about are the ones who start businesses. They explore hard-to-reach geographical places. They also make bold financial decisions. Our culture and media glorify these risk-takers who have made it. Still, it’s crucial to remember that not all risks lead to success. Real-life stories of failed entrepreneurs who risked everything remind us of the long-term consequences. Some of them now live on the streets. It’s important to carefully assess the level of risk you are willing to accept. Some risks can take much longer to recover from.
Foolish Times 