Legend holds that Cornelius Vanderbilt had built a massive fortune in the steamboat shipping industry, but then realized the railroads were the way of the future and invested almost his entire net worth into railroads.  The gamble paid off and made Vanderbilt one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs ever.  But risks are inherently…risky.  How do you think about risk and how has it affected your life and career?  Some of our community favorites share their perspective below.

Bone 1 | Eye paint things.

We take risks since birth… I’ve always gone against the grain. I’ve taken risks that most people wouldn’t take. Taking risks has pushed my art and my business further than I ever thought it would. I’ve been able to travel to places just to paint and make ART. Met a lot of cool people along the way. Read more>>

KK Dwill | Rapper

Taking risk Has played a major role in my career. Honestly, taking risk made me who I am today. I’ve always been the type to jump head first and see the outcome, If it work let’s do it again if I lose, its back to the drawing board. Read more>>

Kelsey D’Amore | Licensed Professional Counselor & Registered Play Therapist

I am a true believer that taking a big risk can yield great reward. The fear of failure is always there, but passion and dedication will always outweigh that anxiety. As cliche as it sounds, taking a risk is really taking a chance on yourself and your future. A lot of my career path has been riddled with risks; applying to graduate schools, training my dog to be a therapy dog, opening an office of my own, and many others. Almost all of the risks I’ve taken in my life have paid off, and the ones that didn’t served as a lesson for the future. I was fortunate to take a big leap of faith with a friend of mine, Katherine Dunham, to open Connect to Thrive. We took a big jump to open our practice at a young age with little to no start up funds. This risk allowed us to become successful in our first year and bring on another team member. Read more>>