Every sky diver， paraglider， and baby Kookaburra bird knows that the first walk to the edge is scary， but they have to go there if they want to fly. Face it—every day could be your last， so it’s a roll of the dice just to get out of bed. You can‘t be a winner unless you’re willing to face defeat. You can‘t even stand without risking a fall.
My day-to-day life has been a dicey business since birth. There were doubts as to whether I’d ever be able to support or care for myself. My parents had double trouble because their limbless child was also a thrill seeker. I was forever putting myself in danger because I couldn‘t bear to just sit around and be the kid in the corner. I skateboarded. I played soccer. I swam. I surfed. I threw my poor body around like an unguided missile. It was ridiculous！
DIVING IN
In the fall of 2009 I tried something that I’d once been told was way too dangerous for me： I went scuba diving in the ocean. As you probably can guess， I had a blast. It was like flying but with softer landings. I‘d tried to scuba about three years earlier， but the instructor would only let me paddle around the pool in scuba gear. I think he was more worried about his insurance than my safety. He was afraid he’d have to explain why that strange guy named Nick was carried off by a shark looking for a bite-size bloke.
This time my instructor， Felipe， had a more open mind. He is the dive instructor on a little island off Colombia， South America. I‘d been invited to speak there by the owners of the gorgeous Punta Faro Resort on tiny Mucura Island， a national park， just off Cartagena. Felipe’s only question to me when I showed up for a scuba lesson was “Can you swim？”
Once I proved seaworthy， Felipe gave me a quick resort scuba course. We worked out some sign language so I could communicate with him under water： by moving my shoulders or my head， I could let him know I needed help. Then he took me out for a test run just off the beach， where we practiced a bit， tried our underwater signals， and checked the equipment.
“Okay， I think you‘re ready for the reef.” he said.
Felipe gripped me around the waist and， using his fl ippers， swam with me down to the reef surrounded by a dazzling rainbow of marine life. Then he let me go， floating above me while I explored the reef. He had to rescue me only once when a five-foot-long moray eel popped out of a crevice in the coral. I’d read that these carnivorous eels have nasty teeth covered with bacteria， so I signaled Felipe to tow me to a friendlier section of the reef. I didn‘t want to become Nick sushi.
The experience opened my eyes to a whole new world. You may wonder whether it was worth the ridiculous risk. Undoubtedly， yes！ Stepping out of your place of comfort opens the possibility for stretching and growing. Surely there is some daring move you’ve wanted to dive into？ I encourage you to do it， test the waters， and take your life to a new level， even if it is under water. Swim with the dolphins. Soar with the eagles. Climb a mountain. Spelunk a cave！ Be ridic like Nick！
Now， there is a difference between ridiculous risk and just plain stupid risk. Stupid risks are just that， too crazy to contemplate. You should never take a risk in which you could lose more than you could win. Ridiculous risk， however， is taking a chance that looks or sounds crazier than it really is because：
1. You‘ve prepared yourself.
2. You have reduced the risk as much as possible.
3. You have a backup plan if things go wrong.
RISK TYPES
I learned about risk mitigation while studying financial planning and economics in university. In the business world as in life， it is generally conceded that you can’t avoid risk entirely， but you can manage or minimize it by measuring the depth of the muck before you wade in—no matter what sort of muck you are wading into.
There are two types of risk in life： the danger of trying and the danger of not trying. That is to say， there is always risk， no matter how you may try to avoid it or protect yourself. Let‘s say you are interested in dating someone. It’s a gamble just to call and ask the person out. You might be turned down. But what if you don‘t try？ After all， this wonderful person might say yes. You might hit it off and live happily ever after. Remember that you have virtually no chance of living “happily ever after” unless you put yourself out there. Isn’t that worth a tumble， mate？
You will lose now and then. You will fail. But the glory lies in getting back up again and again until you succeed！
To live， you must be willing to reach and stretch. To live well， you must learn to control the odds by knowing the upside and downside before you make a move. You can‘t control everything that happens to you or around you， so focus on what you can control， assess every possibility you can assess， and then make a decision.
Sometimes your heart and your gut will tell you to take a chance even when the odds of success look bad on paper. You may fail. You may win. But I doubt that you will ever look back with regret that you tried. I consider myself a business entrepreneur as well as a public speaker and evangelist. I’ve had several business and real estate ventures over the years. I‘ve read many books about entrepreneurs， and there is always a section on risk. Despite the image of entrepreneurs as “risk takers，” successful entrepreneurs aren’t really good at taking risks； they are good at controlling and minimizing risks and then moving forward， even when they know some risk remains.
MY RIDICULOUS RULES
To help you deal with the risks you‘ll face in your life， I’ve put together Nick‘s Ridiculous Rules for Managing Risk. Read them at your own . . . well， you know.
1. Test the waters.
An ancient African proverb says no one tests the depth of the river with both feet. If you are considering a new relationship， a move to another city， a new job， or even a new color for the living room， do a little test before making a big move. Don’t rush in without a good sense of what you are getting into.
2. Go with what you know.