Why is it that our society clearly celebrates the chance takers, yet we rarely encourage one another to take chances–especially those people closest to us?
Almost all your favorite artists quit the traditional to pursue their dreams. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates dropped out of college to pursue their passions. Regardless if you wanna be in art, or film, or accounting, or a pro athlete, the story is the same.
Go tell your husband that you’re quitting your well paying job to pursue a career in video and film. Or go tell your parents you’re dropping out of college to pursue photography full time and see what they say.
I’m not saying quit your day job on the spot. But I do find it strange that our culture by-and-large celebrates those people who have taken non-traditional paths to success, but yet it rarely encourages people to take those same paths when success is only a distant dream.
What is wrong with us?
Take that chance. And encourage others in your life to do the same.
Well said Chase, and definitely something to think about! In general, we want to protect the ones we love, so our nature is to nudge them towards the “safe” choices because we don’t want to see them fail or get hurt. But what about being happy & fulfilled?
When I wanted to study photography instead of going to law school, my parents balked and insisted I do something more practical – so I studied business. 20+ years later when I floated the idea of quitting my corporate job to try my hand at photography my boyfriend said,”Go for it, I support you 100%”. It’s what I love and it makes me happy and he saw that. My mom was more reluctant, wondering what I would do without the 6-figure salary and my propensity for shopping… but once I made the decision, she was right there cheering me on and passing out my business cards to everyone from her neighbours to the check-out girl at the supermarket!
Awesome! Oh I would so love to take a chance. Problem is that it is a risk and if I don’t make it how am I going to pay the mortgage etc…
Not so easy with a family unfortunately.
sometimes, our own lack of chance taking only serves to help us encourage those around us. I can’t take that many chances as I have two small children to support, as well as an ex-wife (budum dum!), but I DAILY encourage them to take chances, and my hope is that they will, with my support, things I could never do. So i will most likely never be more than a local food photographer, but that doesn’t matter to me anymore, all that matters is what they become, the chances THEY take.
so yes, encourage those around you to take chances, while they still have the heart and the energy to either succeed with greatness, or fail without loss of resolve.
I think it’s largely because most people who take that drop out role don’t succeed. Few and far between are the people with enough want, drive, and effort to succeed like a Gates, or a Jobs. (and I don’t mean attain their level of mega success even) You have to want it and go out and get it. From my perspective, it takes a certain type of person to pull that off. Maybe there would be more if it was encouraged.
Perhaps when people realize the traditional path is no longer the security blanket it once was, non-traditional will be given it’s due.
I know a lot of people who have taken risks and been rewarded by them. I know far fewer who have failed because of their risks. However, most people I know haven’t taken the risks at all. Maybe it’s just the people I am surrounded by, but from what I can gleam, risk is rewarded more often than not. It’s just the price of failure that stops most people.
Very well said…
I’m pursuing my dream now and serving my country in the US Navy. I will be done with the Navy soon and doing photography full time.