Are you a risk taker? Do you think you have a stronger appetite for risk relative to your friends and family? We asked some folks from the community about their approaches to risk and have shared their thoughts below.

Kymerriye Dixon | Realtor and Fashion Guru

TAKE RISK!! I’m originally from MS! I moved to Texas right after I graduated college literally within a month! All of my immediate family is back home in MS but now my cousin from my mom’s dad side is my immediate family in TX! It was so challenging when I first came to TX. I left with only a goal of wanting more out of life and I knew TX had many more resources and opportunities than MS. So of course I think risks are what you perceive out of life. I knew when I first moved that it was going to be hard with no immediate family and friends but also being in a new environment was such a scary thing. Read more>>

Jenny Snow | Author & Podcaster

Oh, I love this question! Life is full of risks, and I am always weighing them. Stay home and be safe but maybe miss out? Or fully engage the adventure of life and try to make a difference? All the while knowing I might fall flat. For me, knowing that God is with me (Psalm 145:18) gives me the confidence to go for whatever I feel peace in my heart about trying. I pray about it and check that my motive is love. I also consider the best and worst that could happen: Write some stories and see if a publisher wants to publish them? They could say no. Ignore me. But they could say yes. Read more>>

Jameill Showers | Former Dallas Cowboy and current Real Estate Agent

I believe risk is a necessary step in success. There is definitely a time and place for it but at some point you are going to have to take a risk in order to get where you want to go. For me, I would have never made it to the NFL had I not taken that leap of faith to transfer to the University of Texas at El Paso. After doing that, the Lord began to open doors for me. I started to see “risk” as the necessary step to success. I am currently taking a risk getting into Real Estate, becoming fully responsible for my income, with a family of four. There is just something about that “back to the wall” feeling that pushes people out of their comfort zone. Read more>>

Dr. Jonathan Robinson | Provost, Harvest Christian University

Risk is about trusting in your abilities to do something that is outside of your zone of comfort. People believing and investing in me more than I believed and invested into myself and the skillsets I gathered along the way together gave me what I needed to help to not see risk, but an opportunity with the possibility of success. Read more>>

Shaun Gordon | Investor & Entrepreneur

From the earliest days of my childhood, building things fascinated me. Be it an intricate Lego structure or the expansive realm of a make-believe world, I was drawn to the idea of creation. I fondly remember the countless hours I spent, block by block, creating complex structures, each a testament to my imagination and adventure-seeking spirit. By the age of 12, I knew finance and asset management was my calling. But when it came time to decide my professional path after graduating from NYU in just three years, I was at a crossroads. It was 2002, and most of my peers were flocking to the prestigious world of big banks like Morgan Stanley, JP Morgan, and Goldman Sachs. Read more>>

Kenzie (Vhyxin) Campbell | Tattoo Artist

In the tattooing industry, especially when an artist is first learning, every decision we make involves risk. The moment we put a needle to skin, there is risk; risk that you could mess up, risk that the client may not like the outcome, risk that you could stab yourself. Despite how easy some of us artist might make it look, the art of tattooing is more than just drawing. The entire time I’m creating artwork on someone else, my mind is constantly running. I’m focused on the pressure of my hands, the speed of my fingers, how deep the needle is going, and following the stencil I’ve made to perfection, all while usually holding a conversation with my client. Read more>>

Derrick Fuller | Executive Producer/Owner- Think Fuller Productions

Risk taking is defined as the act or fact of doing something that involves danger or risk in order to achieve a goal. Think Fuller Productions was founded on giving upcoming actors and directors the opportunity to be recognized and given the opportunity to be noticed. I produce the shows with faith believing that we will have a good turnout and be able to be successful. I never know exactly what to expect but my faith will outweigh the fear I have of not knowing. The input doesn’t always match the output, but pressing on is most definitely a part of the journey…and well worth it! Read more>>