CrossFit.Com recently posted an address given by Charles Sanford called, “Life Value and the Paradoxes of Risk”. In his speech, Charles explains that taking risks, though usually seen as rash and reckless, is actually the safe choice in a fast paced and ever changing world.

“My first observation is that successful people understand that risk, properly conceived, is often highly productive rather than something to avoid. They appreciate that risk is an advantage to be used rather than a pitfall to be skirted. Such people understand that taking calculated risks is quite different from being rash.”

Sanford explains that it is calculated risk (not jump off of a building without a parachute risk) that pushes businesses to the next level. “To be more specific, I believe firmly that the sort of risks which put one in a position to control ones lot in a world of incessant change are the risks which attempt to add something of value to that world. To create value, to focus ones efforts on increasing the fund of that which is worthwhile, involves (as we shall see) a sort of risk. And yet, paradoxically, it provides you with the greatest control over a changing world and maximizes your chances to achieve a truly meaningful personal satisfaction.”

“This view of risk is not only unorthodox, it is paradoxical — the first of several paradoxes which I’m going to present to you today. This one might be encapsulated as follows: playing it safe is dangerous. Far more often than you would realize, the real risk in life turns out to be the refusal to take a risk. In other words, the truly most threatening dangers usually arise when you shrink from confronting what only appear to be the most threatening dangers. What is widely regarded as “playing it safe’ turns out not to be safe at all.”

“In the end, you’ll find there is more happiness in creating value for others and enjoying the benefits, both material and psychological, that flow to you, than there is in only adding to your own net worth. It’s that simple. When we create value for others, we do not personally take in all the value we have created — and that, the people who have done so say again and again, is a source of incomparable satisfaction.”

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