25 Jan 10 Mini-Risks Worth Taking
You’ve probably heard the saying that … it’s OK not to be OK all the time.
Well, it’s not just OK, it’s normal and unavoidable.
It’s literally impossible not to feel fear and anxiety, sadness and grief, anger and frustration and more.
And more so, often, things like fear and anxiety are part of excitement and adventure, which can be important contributors to thriving and flourishing.
So, if you’d like more happiness from more positive challenge then read on …
via Psychology Today by Kristen Lee
KEY POINTS
- Self-punishment is unlikely to spur meaningful and lasting behavioral change.
- Risks, not resolutions, offer opportunities to build candor, camaraderie, and community.
- Strategic risk can help foster zest for living and meaningful growth.
Source: Look Studio/Shutterstock
It’s somehow mid-January and that fresh-start feeling has faded. The resolutions we’d hope would get traction aren’t exactly being followed with the fervor we’d envisioned. The frustration that results from knowing what we want to do but struggling to do so is in full effect.
These are moments when our toxic inner critic enters the scene with a pointed finger. But resolutions don’t fizzle because we’re lazy slackers or hopeless causes. Sometimes we’re not creating enough incentives for change to get traction.
Behavioral scientist BJ Fogg emphasizes avoiding self-punishment. He suggests writing out the statement, “I change best by feeling good, not feeling bad.” Rather than sticking to the same old resolution script, we can choose to take mini-risks that foster courage and zest.
Risks can invigorate a process of behavioral change that enacts greater connectivity and engagement with life. While resolutions are often self-focused, risks offer ways to build candor, camaraderie, and community.
Despite risk being associated with potential harm or danger, strategic ones can help us in many ways. Taking risks is an essential component of building resilience, bit by bit. We can micro-dose bravery in small portions to slowly build the gumption we need to enjoy the richness of life, rather than staying hunkered in our shells.
The thought of taking certain risks can make us cringe, so it can help to start with those that are less provocative and become more daring as you go. Often, anticipatory anxiety over what we think may happen can cause us to hedge, but what we worry about isn’t always an inevitable outcome.
Plus, risks can be fun. They can open us up to new experiences and possibilities. Unlike many resolutions in which we inflict self-punishment, risks allow us to be creative in developing something beyond the typical lackluster self-help advice that’s hard to stick with. As Katy Milkman, co-director of the Behavior Change for Good Initiative at the University of Pennsylvania, puts it, “You’ll learn that making hard things seem fun is a much better strategy than making hard things seem important.”
Science shows the many benefits of becoming bolder in the decisions we make, and that we often need to nudge ourselves to choose wisely, spurring meaningful learning and growth.
Here are some risks worth taking to put on your 2023 growth agenda …
… keep reading the full & original article HERE