Do you remember learning how to ride a bicycle?  If you were like me, you didn’t jump on a 2-wheel bike right away.  Perhaps you had a Big Wheel or a tricycle, which offered stability while having fun.  After a period of time and mastery of the 3-wheeler, perhaps you advanced to your first 2-wheel bicycle equipped with training wheels, which provided stability while allowing you to experience the feeling of balance.  Maybe the next step was to flip up one or both training wheels before someone took them off completely.  Each of these steps afforded you the opportunity to have gray fun while providing a gradual reduction in protection while you were learning how to balance, steer, accelerate and brake.

Many of life’s lessons are learned through a similar model of risk and protection.  Sure, you could learn about how to ride a bike from reading a book, but until you get out there and try it for yourself, the full lesson is not likely to be realized.

Calculated risks are a pathway to growth and learning.  We must challenge ourselves with new experiences, even when we may be feeling afraid, in order to grow and reach our fullest capacity.