The subtle art of incremental progress.

To me, “risk” always sounded like a far-off and daunting endeavor. Until recently it was hard to imagine that there was some action I could take right now, today, that would be considered a risk.

Why? Because we regularly hear stories from extraordinarily successful people about that one huge risk they took from a really high cliff that landed them where they are now.

While these TED-worthy outliers make for a great 18-minute story, they overshadow the importance of the everyday risks we take that get us to where we want to go.

It’s Not About the Size of Your Risk…

…it’s about your willingness to be uncomfortable. Nearly all joyfully successful people have taken one micro-risk after another into the unknown. They have been in constant motion, willing to pivot, turn, and change their minds.

Our risk-taking endeavors are primarily made up of a series of small actions that feel scary in the moment. These micro-risks are emotional. They challenge the ego. They are seemingly small everyday actions that trigger our resistance in the biggest of ways:

• Asking for an introduction
• Cold-calling someone
• Sending a quote with higher fees
• Asking for help or feedback
• Sharing a draft
• Simply talking about your dreams or vision

Follow Your Fear

Opportunities for risk-taking show up in all of the same places our fears do. What if I say something stupid? What if they turn it down? What if nobody shows up?

Think about 3 things you could do this week that scare you even the slightest bit. Write them down. While they may seem small or irrelevant, taking action on them will move you closer to what your soul desires – and there’s simply no way for you to know in this moment how or why.

Without taking these micro-risks on a regular basis, our comfort zone becomes a cage and the potential for reward hovers in mediocrity.

Micro-Momentum

Finally, take a look at the micro-risks you wrote down. Are they moving you toward something or away from something? Ideally there’s a dance between the two types of risk – a push out the door and a pull toward your next big step. Leaving behind old paradigms is just as much a risk as leaping toward new ones.

But forget about the big game for a moment, which can feel paralyzing. Instead consider a new practice: take 3 micro-risks each week and your life might be unrecognizable in a year – in the most surprising of ways.