The Progress Pod - Episode 2 - Take Risks or Stay Still

In this episode of the progress pod, the speaker discusses the importance of taking risks. They talk about how they were previously risk-averse but have since realized that calculated risks can lead to personal growth and success. They share their own experience of leaving a secure job to pursue a career in the fitness industry and how it has been the best decision they've ever made. They emphasize the benefits of taking risks, such as increased opportunities and personal development. They encourage listeners to consider the worst-case scenario and weigh it against the potential benefits before taking risks. They conclude by stating that playing it safe may be comfortable, but it limits one's true potential for growth. Hello and welcome to the second episode of the progress pod So if you listen to episode number one, I'd love to hear from you let me know how you found it a wee bit of my background my journey how I am where I am today and Yeah, if you enjoyed it, let me know. It'd be great to hear from you And also if you are listening to these podcasts share it post it on your story take a screenshot I'd like to help as many people as possible with regards to the value that's going to get provided on the progress pod. So in terms of episode number two It's titled take risks or stay still and the reason for that is I want to chat through how important that is to to start taking some risks and this Might sound strange coming from someone that's from an accounting background like completely risk averse in the past like I've been trained and drilled into to be Avoiding risks at all costs playing it safe Like going into a safe career a stable job like all my life Up until the last couple of years. I've always been focusing on avoiding risks however that view and standpoint has definitely changed over the last couple of years and now what I'm Not saying is I'm not saying put this month's wages on a 20 to 1 coupon or something at the weekend Not that type of risks I'm talking here about calculated risks that might sometimes just be avoided just because it's risky and over the last couple of years I've taken various different risks I've Invested in mentorships and coaching programs and all these things which might be deemed as a risk initially, but All I can say is the risk that I've taken over the last couple of years I don't think there's any coincidence that the last couple of years has seen the most growth that I've experienced in a short space of time and I don't think that's a coincidence with regards to my mindset shift on taking risks so just in a wee bit of background I If you didn't listen to episode number one, I was previously an accountant I've qualified as a chartered accountant worked in accountancy firms for Close to eight years So in a stable job like as secure as you're probably going to get and I know Covid and things like that threw everything up in the air for a lot of people but in terms of the job I was in was secure it wasn't badly paid like I was in a good position and In terms of Taking that leap and going full-time self-employed into the fitness industry Is definitely the biggest risk that I've ever taken especially when I've got two young kids. I've got a mortgage to pay there's a lot of things going on there in terms of This is risky and in the past I would have been The first person to be like nope We're not taking that risk but I decided to go against that grain and taking that risk has definitely been the best decision I've ever made and I feel that there's so many Benefits of taking sort of calculated risks as long as you're going to analyze things weigh up some pros and cons like Actually ask yourself what the alternative is and if you're willing to take risks, that is when you're going to really see Your true growth, your true potential that you have there Taking risks really unlocks something I feel like Going right outside that comfort zone with taking that risk that I had taken that's the biggest risk I've taken from doing that I was straight away out with my comfort zone I had no option but to get to work and Do everything in my power to make it work and because I've put myself in that position I feel that I unlocked a lot more potential than I thought I did have if I'd just been sitting playing it safe and staying where I was and Whilst there's nothing wrong with that like in the sense of if I'd just been where I was and I wasn't moving forward But I was still going to be in a good position. But what I wouldn't be is I would not be growing At the rate that I've grown at and I feel that without taking risks of some sort whether that for you is applying for a new job or Taking on a challenge that you've always wanted to do But you've maybe had a bit of fear of failing with it like all these things that in your head are a bit of a risk if you are not going to Take that risk if you're just going to play it safe, then you're you're really missing out on Really great results. You're not going to see your true potential and for me. I didn't want to have that regret of Thinking what could have been and I feel like getting that mindset shifted from do not take any risk to saying yeah I'm going to start taking a bit of risk because that is what's going to allow me to unlock my true potential and really see growth and personal development As I said, it forces you out with your comfort zone forces you into that growth because you need to think right I've taken this risk now So I've either got one option in terms of letting everything slip or I need to get to work and get it done It also increases your opportunities as well like it opens doors that unlocks some creativity and everything like that that you Didn't think you probably had because you were never challenging yourself in that way So it's just about thinking about all these benefits that can come of it and I think if you always think about What's the alternative? Actually put put it down in terms of what is the worst thing that can possibly happen if I take this risk and then if you have a look at that and It's not the worst case scenario in the world. Then just go for it for me I had to write down and say what is the worst case scenario? What is the worst thing that can possibly happen if I leave my secure job here and Go into the fitness industry. For me the worst thing that could possibly happen was everything just fell off a cliff. I had no clients and I was earning no money and it just didn't work out at that stage I thought what would I do if that happened then what I would either do is Go back and apply for some jobs With my accounting degree and and go back to that for a period of time until I sorted things out So that was my worst case scenario. So I felt that Yes, that would be terrible it wouldn't be great if that happened, but I'm willing to Take that risk for the benefits that I can see of what what could happen. So if you actually will really program to think Oh What will I do if the worst happens? We never ever think like what will it be like if this goes right and goes to plan Like I started thinking about that and thinking like what could actually be achieved here And for me it was sort of increased flexibility of my time being my own boss like doing something that I love something that I'm passionate About being able to help people like so many positives that I thought like I Want to go for that I thought and in five years time if I don't do this I'm going to be looking back and thinking like what could have been and for me I did not want to experience that So taking that risk So far has been the best decision that I've ever made And it just allows you as well to overcome fears and really build up your resilience like having taken that risk now Facing my fears like overcoming things adapting There's also obviously been a lot of stress there's been challenging situations but it's actually forced me to come against them and really improve my resilience improve my problem-solving like so many different things and Yeah, if we as I said if we didn't do that if we don't take risks Then you're really not going to be getting that challenge. You're not going to be getting that personal Growth that I'm speaking about and for me I think as well the biggest thing with regards to taking risk is Avoiding the regret like the last thing you want to do is be 10-20 years down the line and thinking See if I'd only just done that or if I'd done this like what could that what could have been there? And if you think back and you think the only reason you didn't do it is because you were worried About failing or like the risk of not paying off as I said think about the alternative And think right, okay. What is the alternative here? What's the worst-case scenario? What's the benefits here? What is the benefits of me taking this risk? What happens if everything goes to plan like what where could I get to look up the way look positively and then aim for that and honestly taking risks like that Calculated risk that you've kind of thought through and Dive into it Trust me the growth that you'll see the places you get to Will far outweigh Just playing it safe and as I said Depending on your nature depending who you are you might want to play it safe. You might be happy just where you're at But what I will say is Well, that's not a bad position You are missing out on some real true growth and true potential And which you're probably not going to unlock unless you take some risks and get yourself out of that comfort zone So yeah, hope that sort of made sense maybe landed with some of you listening if you're potentially thinking of Should I change career or should I do this challenge? Should I move? How should we do this? Like all these things are Risks to a certain extent. If there's something you wanted to do go for it Write down where you want to be. What's the worst case scenario? What's the best case scenario? And just go for it as I said the worst thing that can happen as long as it's not death or illness or something horrific then Get it done go for it and just see where it takes you because as I said You will unlock some serious growth and some serious potential. So yeah, I wanted to kind of cover that topic as for me I Was the complete opposite of this if I had heard a podcast like this somebody going through that a Few years ago. I would have been absolutely delighted and it would have landed right at the right time so hopefully if any of you guys are thinking of taking risks or Pondering over something just now. Hopefully this has landed and I'd like to hear your thoughts on it So as always drop us a message if you've got any feedback on this any future topics that you want to hear covered Give us a message and I hope you enjoyed this one and I'll speak to you on the next episode