But we teach our kids to play it safe. Don't make waves. Don't rock the boat. Do things the way they've always been done.
Complacency is the child of the status quo; innovation is the child of risk. If we want our kids to make a difference in this world, they'll need to be risk-takers.
Risk takers overcome certain barriers. First is fear. Doing something different than you've always done it can be scary. But what's the worst thing that could happen? You could fail. You could struggle. And what's wrong with that? Iron sharpens iron, so without resistance, without the struggle we remain weak. I want my kids to be strong!
Second is discomfort. It gets uncomfortable when you step into the unknown. I remember trying to teach my boys to swim. My oldest HATES getting water on or near his face. This made learning to swim almost unbearable - almost. Without putting that first toe in the water, he would never have had an opportunity to become comfortable with the uncomfortable.
Third is listening to the voices. Everyone seems to have something to say about how we live our lives or parent our children. Learning how to tune out those voices is important for the risk-taker.
"It's impossible," said PRIDE.
"It's risky," said EXPERIENCE.
"It's pointless," said REASON.
"Give it a try," whispered the HEART.
Encourage kids to listen to their hearts....in fact, I think we grown-ups could use that encouragement as well!
Take risks. If you win, you will be happy. If you lose, you will be wise!