Life Is For the Risk Takers

Think back to the last time you felt fully alive.

When you felt like you were completely in the moment, fully connected to what you were doing. Like something deep inside you had woken up. Maybe it was when you said yes to something that scared you. Or when you walked away from something safe, with no plan and no idea what was coming next.

When ever it was, I bet it happened when you took a risk and bet on yourself.

One of those moments for me was at 23, boarding a one-way flight to Thailand.

Two of my best friends had just talked me into chasing the dream of becoming professional online poker players.

I had less than £500 to my name and zero backup plan. I was either going to make enough money to cover my living costs, or beg my parents to pay for my return flight home.

I had no idea if it was going to work out, I just knew I had to try.

I still remember the mix of fear and freedom — sitting on that plane, wondering if I’d just made the biggest mistake of my life.

But deep down, I knew I was finally choosing my own path.

And even though I was scared, I felt more alive than I ever had.

It’s risk that wakes us up.

It's risk that makes us present.

It's risk that makes us feel like we're truly living.

The Trap of Playing It Safe

Most people never get to feel that kind of aliveness.

Not because they don’t want it, but because they never leave the safety of what they know.

Safety feels responsible. Predictable. Adult.

But if you stay there too long, it becomes a cage.

You wake up one day and realise you’ve built your whole life around avoiding uncertainty — and in doing so, you’ve avoided the very thing that makes life worth living.

Because here’s the truth most people avoid:

When you play it safe your entire life, you are guaranteed to lose.

Lose your spark.

Lose your sense of adventure.

Lose the chance to become the person you’re capable of being.

Playing small might feel secure.

But it’s often the biggest risk of all.

It starts subtly, in the everyday choices that seem harmless on the surface:

• You stay in a job that drains you because it feels safer.

• You say “I don’t have time” or “I don’t have the money.”

• You wait for the perfect moment but it never arrives.

• You tell yourself you’re too old and it’s already too late.

• You talk about someday but never take the first step.

You think you’re being safe.

But inside, you’re just slowly dying — one unlived day at a time.

What Are You Really Afraid Of?

So what’s really stopping you?

Most people say it’s money. Or timing. Or not being ready.

But under all of that, it’s fear.

Fear of failing.

Fear of looking stupid.

Fear of being judged.

And maybe, if you’re really honest — fear of what might happen if it actually works.

Because if it works, everything changes. And that kind of life altering shift can be just as terrifying as failure.

I felt that fear deeply at 29, when I decided to become a mindset coach for poker players. I had no qualifications, no roadmap, no idea what I was getting into. Just a deep belief that I could help.

But part of me was terrified. I thought people might call me a fraud. I thought why would anyone want to listen to what I had to say. I didn’t feel ready — not even close.

But I did it anyway.

Yet that decision opened the most fulfilling chapter of my career.

And here’s what I’ve learned: Fear isn’t a sign to stop — it's a sign you’re getting close to something meaningful.

You don’t need to get rid of fear.

You just need to stop letting it make your decisions for you.

Choose the Bold Path Anyway

Looking back, every version of me I’m proud of had one thing in common.

The 18 year old who left home to start fresh in a new city.

The 23 year old who flew to Thailand with no backup plan.

The 29 year old who said yes to coaching with no credentials.

In every case, I took a risk and hoped I'd figure it out on the way.

That’s the thing about courage — it’s not something you wait to feel.

It's something you choose.

You don’t need to feel fearless to take a risk.

You just need to feel the fear, and act anyway.

To take a bet on yourself that you will figure things out once you get started.

One of the biggest risks I’ve taken recently wasn’t a move or a career shift — it was starting to write.

Not just sharing ideas, but sharing the raw, vulnerable parts of myself.

The doubts. The insecurities. The inner battles most people never see.

Every time I hit publish, part of me still asks, “Is this too much?”

But I do it anyway.

Because I know that’s the edge I’m meant to walk.

And every time I share from that place, something shifts.

In me, and hopefully in others.

That’s the thing about risk.

It invites you into the unknown — and challenges you to grow into the person it requires.

So Where Are You Holding Back?

You already know where it is.

That one area of your life where you’re playing it safe.

Where you're waiting to feel ready.

Where you’re keeping one foot in, just in case.

Maybe it’s a conversation you’ve been avoiding.

A project you keep delaying.

A dream that scares the hell out of you.

Whatever it is, the fear is not a sign to stop.

It's a sign that it matters.

You don’t need a master plan.

You just need to decide.

To stop shrinking.

To stop waiting.

To take the risk.

Because no one’s going to do it for you.

And deep down, you know it’s time.

Say yes.

Make the move.

Burn the backup plan.

Life is for the risk takers.

And your next chapter is waiting on the other side of one bold choice.

Adam