What’s the Worst that Could Happen?

Actuaries are generally very boring people.  

Or at least I would expect them to be, I’m not sure I actually know one.  I mean no disrespect to them – I’m sure they’re wonderfully nice and kind.  

If you don’t know what an actuary is, well, they’re professional risk mitigators.  It’s their job to calculate the probability of anything bad happening and how much damage it could cause, then advise their company how much money to budget for bad stuff to maybe happen.  Because they focus so much on avoiding and mitigating the possibility of risk happening, I would venture to guess they are strict rule followers, purchase safe, dependable and quite boring cars that have proven reliability and safety records and live in modest homes in safe neighborhoods.  In general, you would probably be smart to emulate an actuary’s choices in life in any area you’re not passionate about. 

Engineers are like daredevil actuaries.  They take their work to the limit.  Or at least make calculations based on a limit.  Both of these professions are in the business of protecting people from bad stuff happening.  I know lots of engineers.  Generally smart and kind people, if I say so myself.

But have you ever asked yourself, 

“What’s the worst that could happen?”  

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I’m not encouraging you to wrestle a tiger or attempt to launch yourself on a rocket to the moon.  At least not without first doing some serious research.

Fear of failure is a huge motivator to not do something.  The fear of being ridiculed or losing a lot of money or simply being uncomfortable for a couple hours are huge motivators to not do something.  The reality is choosing to do nothing can lead to those same outcomes.

In the words of the band Switchfoot’s song This is Your Life, “today is all you’ve got now.”  You cannot change yesterday, but you can learn from it.  You cannot change tomorrow, but you can plan for it.  But there is only one day you will ever be able to do anything – today.  

Take a walk outside, even if it’s cold and raining.  As my friend Dan says, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing choices.”

Go for a bike ride around the neighborhood, on some local single track, or ride across a country.  Jump your bike off a ramp.  

Invite your neighbor over for dinner, even if you are a lousy cook.

Join a bowling league, softball team, or classic car club.

Sketch an idea on paper, make it and try to sell it. 

Pick up a guitar, sit down at a piano, or thrash on a drum set.

Go surfing, horseback riding, skydiving, hiking, rock climbing, 4-wheeling, skiing or any other activity you find on social media under the tag #adventure.

If a little mud, rain, awkward silence, cold, or embarrassment are stopping you from great memories, friendships, skills, better health, get off the couch, stop reading this and make mistakes. 

Just try to not end up in the hospital.