Rethinking Risks: Why Staying Safe Might Be Your Biggest Gamble

Why do risks feel so paralyzing? How can we reframe them as stepping stones to growth? Co-hosts Tamara Loring and Dr. Mike Smith explore how fear, mindset, and perceived failure shape our willingness to embrace change.

From gut-driven decisions to the power of intentional baby steps, they share practical insights for turning risks into catalysts for resilience, transformation, and success.

• Tamara and Dr. Mike look at a topic that often paralyzes people and makes them retreat back to their comfort zone: risk.
• Dr. Mike touches upon the role that following his own thoughts and gut played in his pursuit of change at different stages of his professional and personal life, despite facing potential risks.
• When someone says something that goes against what you believe in, you can either let that stop you in your tracks or you can use it as fuel to help push through whatever you're dealing with.
• Tamara brings up a change that happens in our life: as children, we see something new with a sense of adventure, but things somehow change when we grow up…
• Tamara shares an acronym she often goes to when it comes to F.E.A.R.: False Evidence Appearing Real.
• When it comes to change, a mistake we tend to make is overemphasizing the associated risks, instead of equally evaluating best- and worst-case scenarios.
• Remember: sometimes, there's more risk associated with not taking action, as opposed to taking action.
• Dr. Mike explains why fear is NOT a bad thing.
• When making mistakes, we tend to be hard on ourselves… However, we should remember Thomas Edison's words: "I have not failed, I have just found 10,000 ways something won't work."
• Tamara and Dr. Mike talk about why we should approach change – and the risks associated with it – the same way we approach, and use, a GPS.
• When looking at successful people, it's important to look at their successes, but it's even more important to look at the lessons they've learned through "failure".
• Dr. Mike goes over another big benefit of embracing fear (in the right way): it really starts to give you an internal sense of resiliency, an increased self-esteem, and the belief that you can do it.
• Tamara brings up the topic of mindset – ask yourself whether yours is empowering or disempowering.
• Do you have a disempowering mindset? Then, try to find a way to change it and find something to be hopeful about.
• Did you know that, from a psychological point of view, it's impossible for you to recognize a trait, characteristic, or element of someone else's behavior that you don't have in you? So, if you can spot something, it means you have it too!
• Tamara and Dr. Mike unpack the idea that things in life are only risky if you're not informed and educated about that topic.
• Dr. Mike invites you to pick one thing that you've been holding off because of fear and to just explore it – go and take the risk!
• Tamara is a big fan of the compound effect of taking intentional baby steps every single day… and the progress that comes with it.
• "When it comes to taking a risk, your approach should be strategic, thoughtful, purposeful, and meaningful," says Dr. Mike.
• Tamara and Dr. Mike illustrate how spending time with like-minded people can get you stuck in your comfort zone – and what to do instead.
• Some important words by Tamara, especially if you're going through a tough time: "Give yourself permission to dream."

Mentioned in This Episode:

YourCareerRevolution.com

CareerCompassShow.com/5

Tamara Loring

Dr. Mike Smith

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