The odds of dying by falling out of bed are one in 2 million.
Sleeping can be a pretty dangerous business! Now, you may be thinking that sleeping could not possibly be very risky. Well, you obviously don’t know my accident-prone roommate.
The truth is, you’re more likely to die by falling out of your bed than you are to win the lottery.
However, knowing this fact will not keep you from sleeping soundly tonight. I imagine you won’t think twice about it before hopping into bed. Oh, you crazy risk-taker you!
OK, so maybe sleeping isn’t as adventurous as I make it out to be, but there is some risk involved. And yet we are willing to accept these risks and continue to sleep peacefully night after night.
Actually, like sleeping, just about everything we do involves taking risks. And some activities are more risky than others.
Frequently, taking risks is viewed as a bad thing in society.
Being in the sun too long is risky because it could cause cancer. Smoking is risky because it causes cancer.
It seems like almost everything we do now is risky because it could cause cancer. But again, many feel that the risks are worth it, even if they do lead to negative effects.
However, taking risks can lead to positive results as well.
Often times the best opportunities in life are the ones we seek out. We can’t be afraid to be bold and step outside of our comfort zones. If we are, life won’t be as fun. As Tim McMahon says, “Yes, risk taking is inherently failure-prone. Otherwise, it would be called sure-thing-taking.”
Sometimes we need to take risks in order to experience life’s rewards.
Just ask the group from Kohl Hall who hosted a Hurricane Katrina relief project last weekend at the Cla-Zel Theater downtown. In four short weeks the group turned their dream into a reality.
They contacted Criterion Pictures based in Chicago to buy the copyrights to four films, rented out the Cla-Zel, obtained prizes to raffle off at the event, advertised throughout campus, purchased food and drink to sell at the concessions, and volunteered their time to run the theater during the event.
Their goal was to raise as much money as possible from ticket sales and send all proceeds to the hurricane victims. In order to do this, first they had to raise money to fund the project.
The group went to many organizations looking for co-sponsors and any other form of donations. Some of the organizations decided not to donate to the project because they felt it was too risky and for other personal reasons.
In the end, the group persevered and raised over $2,700 anyway.
The project was a big risk because the chances of failing were high. But the big risk turned into a big success.
It can be difficult to take risks because it forces people to leave the realm of the familiar for the unknown.
Taking that first step is risky, but necessary. You’ll never know if you don’t try.
What’s the worst that could happen?
Say you fail. You make a mistake, you learn from it and you do better the next time.
In fact, some of the world’s greatest mistakes include Coca-Cola, chocolate chip cookies, silly putty, and penicillin. That’s right, all these products were created by accident. It looks like these mistakes turned out for the best.
Don’t let the possibility of failure hold you back from seizing opportunities.
You take risks every time you get out of bed, so why not attempt something great? I mean, the more risks you take, the higher your chances of succeeding will be. So why not try something more risky than sleeping?
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Send comments to Taylor Copeland at [email protected]
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