Daring to Embrace Risk Will Elevate You to New Heights

Picture this: it’s 2002, and you’ve just sold your successful business to fund a new venture that no one has ever succeeded in – commercial space travel. In fact, you’ve poured everything into it. You’ve rinsed your personal fortune, slept on the factory floor, and bent over backwards winning investors over.

After years of research and development, your first rocket launch is a massive failure.

So is your second.

You think the third attempt will be the charm, but it isn’t. Like the first two launches, it’s a spectacular, multi-million dollar failure.

It’s the 2008 financial crisis, your wife has left you, and critics are vocal. Your investors are advising you to walk away and cut your losses before you face financial ruin.

You know what most people would do: they’d fold and start a new run-of-the-mill business that will actually pay the bills.

But you aren’t most people. You take the risk, and you pour everything you have left into a fourth launch.

It’s a nail-biting ordeal with eye-watering stakes, but guess what?

The fourth launch is a roaring success.

In fact, it’s such a success that by 2021, you’ve landed a billion-dollar contract with NASA, and you’re regularly ferrying astronauts to the International Space Station and beyond. You took a colossal, expensive risk, but you’ve transformed space travel and made big, big bucks as a result.

If you hadn’t guessed it, this is the story of Elon Musk, who is the CEO and founder of SpaceX (among other things).

Why This Story Matters

Elon Musk's journey with SpaceX reveals a fundamental truth about risk: without the courage to risk and endure failure, monumental success is forever out of reach.

But I think there is a massive issue with the framing of risk, a framing that holds most people back from achieving true happiness and greatness.

When we use the word ‘risk’, negative connotations typically come to mind.

The dictionary defines the word ‘risky’ as ‘involving the possibility of injury, loss, or other adverse or unwelcome circumstances; dangerous; hazardous.’

When we hear the words ‘high-risk behaviours’, we immediately think of things like drug use, drink-driving, tightrope walking without a safety net. Even in the professional world, the fear of ‘risk’ lingers everywhere: whether to start a business, whether to make that investment that could make you filthy rich, but could also cause substantial loss.

When we use ‘risk’ as a yard-stick for measuring negative consequences, we impose a ceiling on our opportunities. It’s a ceiling that keeps the rain out but it’s also one that blocks you from seeing the full scope of the sky.

In my business experience, I’ve had spectacular failures. I may not have blown up space rockets, but I have been bankrupt and flat on my ass as a result of risks I took and decisions I made.

But my life isn’t defined by the risks that didn’t pay off. It’s defined by the risks that did pay off, which significantly outweigh the former.

Being less risk-averse isn’t the same as being reckless. I’m not advising anyone to go about their lives like a bull in a China shop, tearing their way through each and every opportunity. Saying yes to flaky deals, sleeping their way through the city, drinking holes in their livers.

Success in life, whether in business or your personal life, is about knowing which risks are worth taking. It’s about being comfortable with uncertainty and embracing vulnerability, which is an essential component in the quest for anything meaningful.

High risks usually bring higher rewards. Cryptocurrency is a good example of this. Some people have lost money investing in Bitcoin, while others have seen $100 investments turn into millions (those who invested in Bitcoin at less than 1p). Risk is relative.

Investing in the stock market exposes you to risk and the possibility of losses, but not investing GUARANTEES you won’t see returns.

A life dominated by fear of risk is one that’s focused on minimising losses rather than maximising gains. It’s one that closes more doors than it opens.

If you’re feeling doubtful as to whether to take the plunge on a risky decision, consider that risk isn’t a measure of negative consequence, but a measure of uncertainty. It’s uncertainty that confines you and keeps you safe and sound under the same ceiling that keeps everyone else safe.

You can’t outrun risk, but you can open your heart to it. Eating a hard boiled sweet carries risk, and so does walking to the shop, but you do both because you have something to gain – whether it’s a pint of milk or the simple pleasure of a sweet treat.

For me, the fear of getting old and regretting the risks I was too afraid to take far outweighs any risk I’m faced with in my day-to-day business.

Risk is Inevitable, but Fear is Optional

Each time you're faced with a risky decision in life, ask yourself: What's the very worst that could happen, and can I live with that? Genuinely live with it? The truth is, most people can live with most outcomes. What holds us back is fear of failure or shame.

The greatest innovations and successes often (if not always) come from leaping into the unknown. Elon Musk is a great example of this. After many expensive, spectacular risks and failures with SpaceX, the company is now the largest space company in the world by market capitalisation.

It’s hard to imagine how he felt in the hours before the fourth launch, but it’s very easy to imagine how he felt after it: elated, relieved, immeasurably powerful.

Concluding Thoughts

As you move forward, consider how you can apply this mindset to your own life and work. Whether it's a financial investment, a career change, or even starting a new relationship, the ability to take calculated risks is what will drive you forward.

It will hurt sometimes, and you will definitely face setbacks, but this does not translate to failure. It’s part of the process, and embracing risk is a long-term game.

Remember that the ceiling that blocks the rain also blocks the stars, and it’s up to you to decide if you’re ready to tear it down and reach for something better.

If you didn't see this on Instagram earlier this week, then here's a little visual I thought was pretty cool, which explained what I've talked about this week quite nicely. (Side note: if you don't follow me on socials, it's time to step it up - it's FREE insights, tips, and problems SOLVED by me). 

In business, it's all about the long game, am I right? Every decision, no matter how small, has the potential to steer the ship in a new direction. Think of it like your relationship status. When you're taking a girl out, it's not just about the destination—it's about the journey. You've got to lay down that groundwork, wine and dine, arrange the details, and above all, be a gentleman. Because trust me, if you slip up on those early dates, you might as well kiss your chances goodbye.

So, whether it's choosing a supplier, hiring a new team member, or deciding on a marketing strategy, remember: a small miss now can snowball into a big miss later. Keep your eyes on the prize, stay sharp, and make every move count.

It's a Scandal: Prince Andrew is Innocent and I Can Prove It - Lady Victoria Hervey Tells All.

Yes, it’s a big one this week! I sit down with me as I uncover the real Lady Victoria Hervey beyond the headlines! Lady Victoria Frederica Isabella Hervey, aka Lady V, has lived a life that's straight out of a Hollywood script. Raised between the opulent Ickworth estate and Monaco's glamour, her journey has been a rollercoaster of high society, fashion, and even a hint of scandal. But it's not just glitz and glam; Lady V's story takes some unexpected twists, like the jaw-dropping moment when she felt compelled to buy a GUN for protection. And then there's the juicy gossip swirling around her alleged ties to Prince Andrew and the infamous Jeffrey Epstein saga. Trust us, you won't want to miss a second, Lady V reveals her own secrets! 

Catch up now, listen here or watch below!