Risk

I’ve risked a lot over the years, as many others have. I literally put my ass on the line more times than I can count. Five deployments to combat, jumping out of a “perfectly good aircraft” on seventy-seven different occasions, dozens of live fire training events, and hundreds of hours riding in helicopters are things that immediately come to mind.

There is other risk, though, that we all take whether we think about it or not. Get in your car to drive to work. Risk. A home repair project. Risk. Make a financial investment. Risk. Hell, I am taking a risk just by trying to publish this book. Even posting this blog has some risk.

We all assume risk of varying degrees constantly. Your mind is always assessing and reassessing risk. You think through what the potential gains and losses are and then decide whether or not “it is worth it”. Businesses refer to this as cost benefit analysis. We used to fill out a form in the military that outlined possible risks of varying degrees and assess what level of risk the operation would assume. Everyone does it. You get in your car to go to work because the risk of an accident is relatively low, but the risk of not being able to pay your rent is pretty high if you don’t.

The question is always “How much are you willing to risk?” to get you to where you want to be in life. Personally, I’ve risked a lot and will continue to do it. Why? Because I think it is worth it to really live and not just be a bystander. What about you?

Keep Moving, Keep Shooting