by Wallace Wilkins
Many of us have grown up with warnings to be careful. When people leave one another, for example, they often say, "Take care." Taking these words seriously could inhibit your development. Imagine how differently you might have developed if your friends and family said to you, "Take risks."
Pause to consider how different you might be. Do you imagine that if you take more risks in the future you will be extremely successful? Or does the thought cross your mind that you might become physically injured or harmed?
When dealing with risks, many people often believe that risk brings danger. This is because our language confuses danger with the possibilities of discomfort or disapproval that risk brings. When considering taking a risk, some people will imagine:
"If I'm not careful, he'll kill me!"
"I would just die!"
"I'd fall to pieces!"
Can you think of similar expressions? If you color your thoughts about the future with alarming thoughts, you will inhibit your action. However, those alarms are false alarms.
Those mistaken expressions do not describe what actually happens when you try to change something. You are not likely to be killed or fall to pieces. If the outcome isn't what you had hoped, you may experience some mild discomfort, and that's all. Mild discomfort is part of the risk for achieving final success.
When those strong expressions bother you, you won't take a risk. The only things that will be "killed" are your initiative, your confidence, and your advancement.
You can advance your career by knowing the differences between risk and danger. Here's the difference: Risk is when an outcome is uncertain. Danger is when your flesh will be torn.
Some new ideas succeed. Some don't. The risk of failure does not make the future dangerous. Your flesh will not get torn during most changes.
For many people, public speaking is a great example of confusing risk with danger. I know a manager who used to be frightened by the thought of speaking in front of an audience. Of course, he did not know what the outcome would be before his first speech. Instead of thinking that it was only a risk, he created excessive anxiety as if it was dangerous. Even though he knew it was not likely, he imagined that the audience might throw objects at him, or attack him like an angry crowd.
While anxious, he took the risk and gave his first speech. He found that the audience was casually supportive. With his new skill, he has developed into a more positive, successful leader. He still makes a few mistakes during his speeches. But no audience has ever torn his flesh!
Each time you do something new or different, you are faced with a risk. The next time you face uncertainty about the future, separate risk from danger. If you know that danger is likely, I suggest that you avoid the dangerous situation unless you know that you can manage the danger.
If you determine that danger is not likely, then think about possible results that may occur in the future. If it seems the future is safe, put your plans into practice. You don't have to be certain about what will happen before you take action.
You can use these danger-free, risk-taking strategies immediately. The next time you leave someone, notice if the other person says, "Take care." Surprise your friend by saying "Take risks!"
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advancement
alarm
alarming
anxiety
audience
avoid
career
casually
confuse
confusing
disapproval
discomfort
excessive
failure
flesh
harm
inhibit
initiative
injured
leader
mild
outcome
physically
risk
strategy
supportive
uncertain
uncertainty
warning
be faced with
cross someone's mind
deal with
fall to pieces
put something into practice
take risks / a risk
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The title of unit7 is Choices in Life.
The main idea of writing and translation of unit7 is 词义增补(1)——名词、动词的增添：1.英译汉的增词【1.1 增加动词 1.2 增加名词】2.汉译英的增词【2.1 增加代词或名词】