Hey friend,

We are continuing our series on risk (which is a series buried in a series on “Ways to view the world that lead to more opportunities).

Thanks for hanging with me. Last week we:

Considered how our fear of risk can double our trouble
I shared a story about a time I nearly turned down a life-changing job because I was afraid

If you missed last week’s newsletter, you can check it out here

And if you’re super behind on this mini-series on risk, you can check out the first newsletter here.

The real danger has a name.

I’ve mentioned before that cost and risk are a part of any decision.

But we can easily inflate the risks ahead, making them feel more dangerous than they actually are.

That’s what’s going on in Proverbs 22:13

The sluggard says, “There’s a lion outside! I shall be killed in the streets!”

Whether there truly was a lion outside or not, we don’t know. But we can gather from this Proverb that the danger outside is minimal at best.

Focusing on the minimal risk outside is keeping this person from feeling the true danger: regret.

Life is like an evening; the longer you wait, the darker it becomes. Delay bristles with danger, and the best fruit it can possibly bear is regret. - Charles Spurgeon

Listen, I get that you might not feel ready. And I get that your fear of moving forward feels real. But I want you to ask, “Am I inflating the risk of going outside my comfort zone?”

There’s a good chance there isn’t really a lion out there.

There’s a good chance that future you will be glad and thankful if current you decides to take the risk of moving forward.

In most cases, it’s not going to be easier tomorrow. You won’t be more ready. Instead of one lion, there will be two. You still won’t be ready or prepared to take the leap. And what’s worse, future you will be in the habit of giving in to the fear. The longer we wait, the harder it is to open the door and go outside.

Bearing the fruit of regret is the real danger.

The shame of regret is another obstacle that future you might have to overcome if you don’t face the lion today.

Let’s be nice to future us. Let’s serve future us by facing our fears today.

And if you feel like you are “future you” today, if you feel ashamed that you didn’t start earlier, and if you are full of regret, I’m sorry. Regret is the worst. But there is grace for those of us living with regrets.

We can’t do anything about yesterday, but we can do something about today.

I’ve often heard the phrase, “The best time to get started was yesterday; the second best time is today.”

Let’s not add to our regrets by wallowing in regret. Let’s get up, face the lion, and move forward.

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Quote of the Week

"Excitement is a better motivator than discipline. The people who appear to have an exceptional work ethic or remarkable discipline are often those with a genuine curiosity or interest in that area. The person who smiles is more likely to keep working than the person gritting their teeth.”

James Clear