Taking Risk is essential, but how much, when and why? Taking risks effectively is as much of an art as it is a science and we’ve asked some of the brightest folks in the community to tell us about how they think about risk taking.

Nathan Navarrette | Director, Cinematographer, Writer, & Teacher

I think risk-taking is the very essence of success, without it you are just doing what is expected of you. Regardless if you achieve or not, taking risks is necessary to be successful. I don’t measure my success by whether or not I have accomplished what I set out to do, I measure it by how much I did to reach what I was striving for. Taking risks led to a career as a creative and has helped me meet so many talented and amazing people. Swallowing the fear and inhibitions drastically changed the trajectory of my life; you have to realize that there’s never a worse result than the regret of never trying. Read more>>

Shon Weathers | Rapper, Singer, Songwriter and then some.

I think of risk as how bad do you want it? There’s a lot of sacrifices that are made as an artist. Theres a lot of tough decisions regarding finances, people, time, what your next move is and so on. The weird thing is most of the time I don’t think people realize how many risks they’ve taken or are currently taking to manifest their desires. It’s easy to see the big risk. But it’s really the small ones that count. The more small risks you take, the easier those “big risks” become. Read more>>

Donna Sirls | Realtor & Notary

Life is full of uncertainty so I am all for risk taking and progression! That is exactly how I got into my new career as a Real Estate agent. I took a leap of faith and committed to putting my all into my business. I am setting the foundation for the empire I’m building based on pure risk. Read more>>

Lauren Crowley Taylor | Licensed Professional Counselor & Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate

I dreamt of opening my own psychotherapy private practice while in graduate school at Southern Methodist University. First, I wanted to work in a variety of settings, to sharpen my clinical skills and gain experience. I am fortunate to have worked for a children’s hospital, non-profit, forensic practice, psychiatric hospital, and public school district. I had hoped that I would find an organization to call home, but my dream of private practice remained. Read more>>

Ryian Williams | Engineer & Author

When I think about risk, I think about calculated risk. I know that calculated risk can bring about great rewards. This is why I am all for taking calculated risks. By calculated risk I mean I analyze the probability of success compared to what could be lost as a result of the decision. Taking risks has also placed me in various winning positions that would not have come about if I did not take the risk, or take the leap of faith. I am not originally from this country and leaving my home and migrating to the US was a risk that is still paying off. Read more>>

Leslie Juarez | Currently an esthetician student

I’m usually afraid to take risk because I hate feeling like I have failed at something. As of lately I have been pushing myself to get out of my comfort zone and accept the fact that there will be things I fail at in life before I can become successful. Over time I have learned that it’s better to try and fail rather than to have never tried at all. Read more>>