We’ve all heard the phrase “out of an abundance of caution.” Lately, out of an abundance of caution, we’ve worn masks, closed schools, socially distanced, reduced capacity, locked ourselves down.
I’m not here to debate the necessity of any of this. I’m here to pose a question:
Are you living your life out of an abundance of caution?
Were you essentially wearing a mask and hiding indoors before COVID ever hit? Out of an abundance of caution, have you decided that unseen and safe are better than seen and exposed?
This isn’t about common sense safety – wearing a seatbelt, locking a door – or sound decision-making – weighing pros and cons, doing research, vetting an idea. And I’m not talking about personal preferences, like whether to skydive (no, thank you) or invest in high-risk stocks.
I’m talking about doing that thing you’ve been wanting to do, but a little voice has been telling you that you might not be good enough, you might get hurt, you might be disappointed, you might even be humiliated. Or maybe that you’re too old, too fat, too thin, too average.
What is an Abundance of Caution, Anyway?
Abundance is fullness, a spirit of plenty, and sometimes even an overflow of what is needed.
Caution is the care taken to avoid danger or mistakes.
So an abundance of caution is an overflow of taking care to avoid mistakes.
Is that any way to live?
It makes me think of the words to the chorus of Kelly Clarkson’s song, “Because of You:”
“Because of you, I never stray too far from the sidewalk
Because of you, I learned to play on the safe side so I don’t get hurt
Because of you, I find it hard to trust not only me, but everyone around me
Because of you, I am afraid.”
Can you relate?
Throwing Caution to the Wind
Last weekend I attended a dinner with Jack Canfield, creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. He told his incredible story about how the first Chicken Soup book came about. Here’s what you need to know: his book concept was rejected by 143 publishers before publisher #144 said yes.
What would have happened if Jack Canfield had given up after 20 rejections? 50? 100? 143? Millions of people around the world would not have had chicken soup when their souls needed it.
Jack Canfield didn’t let rejection dictate his worth or his idea’s worth. He operated from a place of abundance.
Here’s a quick list of some other success stories of those who didn’t buy the “not good enough” story.
- Michael Jordan – cut from his high school basketball team
- Oprah Winfrey – fired from her job as news anchor in Baltimore
- Walt Disney – declared bankruptcy with his first animation company
- The Beatles – turned down by multiple record labels
- Albert Einstein – didn’t speak until age 4 and failed his entrance exam to school
- Steve Jobs – fired from Apple in his 30s
- Tom Brady – 199th draft pick (6th round) in 2000, behind six other quarterbacks (Chad Pennington, Giovanni Carmazzi, Chris Redman, Tee Martin, Marc Bulger and Spergon Wynn) – let that sink in
- Steven Spielberg – rejected twice for film school at University of Southern California
- Charles Schultz – drawings rejected by his high school yearbook
- Vincent Van Gogh – sold one painting during his entire life
- Franklin D. Roosevelt – became paralyzed from waist down due to polio, prior to becoming president
And a few “later in life” success stories:
- Henry Ford – engineered the Model T Ford at age 45
- Julia Child – wrote her first cookbook at age 50
- Dame Judi Dench – film career took off when she was in her 60s
- Laura Ingalls Wilder – published her first Little House book at age 65
- Duncan Hines – wrote his first guide at age 55 and licensed the right to use his name for cake mixes at age 73
- Grandma Moses – started painting at the age of 78
Do you really think you should give up?
Three Benefits to Taking Risks
If something is stirring in you to take a risk, I encourage you to consider just three of the many benefits of taking smart risks.
You will be stretched and your world will expand.
In the past ten years, I’ve done some things that terrified me. These things required me to step out in faith, and to push through physical and emotional agony and the expectations of others. At times I questioned what I was doing, and even felt like giving up. But stepping outside of my comfort zone was worth every bit of the blood, sweat, and tears. It transformed my life.
Just like a muscle needs to be stretched and torn to grow, so do we. And the reward isn’t just reaching the goal itself – the reward is the journey.
Do something that makes you a little squeamish. Step into the fullness of who you are. You’ll be so glad you did.
You will realize what’s important in your life.
When you level up by taking risks, you start to see what’s truly important in your life and what’s noise. You start to see what – or who – propels you forward or holds you back.
The process of becoming involves a process of un-becoming, too. Sometimes this means removing things, activities, or people from your life. Do you need to disconnect from toxic energy? Do you need to cut off, or reduce contact with, people who aren’t really in your corner? Do you need to disconnect from social media, politics, or the news? Do you need to wean off an unhealthy habit – or maybe even quit cold turkey?
When you are in the process of working towards a challenging goal, you will have little time for distractions. Life becomes more settled and focused.
You just might do something extraordinary.
We are so used to living in the ordinary that we rarely stop to think what an extraordinary life might look and feel like.
YOU get to define what’s extraordinary for you. Maybe it’s setting up the business you’ve always dreamed of. Dancing on stage for the first time. Writing an article. Switching jobs. Opening your heart to love again. Stepping away from abuse. Deciding it’s your last drink.
The feeling of pride (the good kind), gratitude, faith, and love that comes from achieving a goal is pretty amazing. When you choose to step into the fullest version of yourself, the person God created you to be, you also encourage others to do the same. And you go to sleep at night knowing you did something pretty special.
An Abundance of Abundance
Where in your life do you need a little less caution and a little more abundance? What, or who, do you want to become? What are you willing to do to become that person?
There are no guarantees on the outcome regardless of whether we’re playing it safe or taking risks. And the road can be rocky.
BUT – and this is a big BUT – there is always the guarantee of growth if we approach it with a spirit of abundance. There will be an abundance of grace, of self-respect, of joy, of gratitude, of belief, of lessons learned, of impact, of new friendships, of new sources of support and encouragement.
It takes courage and commitment. But you weren’t meant to play on the safe side.
Your dreams await.
