So, I like to think of myself as a brave person, someone who
doesn't shy away from risks, and recently it feels like I've taken more plunges
into the deep-end than I've had hot dinners.
In the famous words of Derek ‘Del Boy’ Trotter (Only
Fools and Horses – if you don’t know, be ashamed of yourself, and then look
it up) “who dares wins, Rodney”. Was he right though? Let's face it, he wasn't
known for the accuracy of his pithy phrases, but I have to say I agree with him
here. Take for example my latest risky endeavour stats (you know, if I had to make
them up…) They would probably balance out 2:1 in terms of favourable to less
favourable outcomes, but does that mean that the latter were complete losses?
With any risk, whatever it may be, you put yourself out
there, making yourself vulnerable to someone or something else, and that's
hard. It's uncomfortable and scary because suddenly what happens to you is no
longer under your control. Even though you enter these situations with a
desired outcome in mind, as soon as you hand yourself over to fate like that, you also hand
over any influence you have on it. But does it imply failure if things don't turn out the way you had wanted? You've still been
brave and ventured something have you not? You've still learnt something about
yourself; in fact you've probably realised that taking risks isn't as terrible as you
feared and that you could do it again in the future.
The Russian version of Del Boy's phrase is кто не рискует,
не пьёт шампанского (he who doesn't dare, doesn't drink champagne), and I like
that. I like it because it has nothing to do with winning, rather it suggests that anything you perceive to be a reward merits taking a risk for. It doesn't mention
losing.
Au contraire, Rodney, au contraire.
