How Your Brand Can Help You Take Risks
If you read the story of any successful business, it will always talk about the risks the founders took to get there. The way they chose to break convention, to go against the norm or challenge the status quo.
To succeed, it’s expected that you will take a few risks.
But often, despite hearing these stories of success, in our day jobs, in our business, in our everyday lives, we still fear taking risks. We worry about what will happen if we step out of our comfort zone. We delay taking action because we don’t know what will happen. And as a result, we keep doing the same things and are frustrated because nothing happens. Or worse, we look at the success of others and wonder why it’s not happening for us.
We’re not talking about doing crazy stuff for the sake of it. But taking calculated risks that will move you forward or help you learn.
The good news is, if you’re clear on your brand it can help you take more risks.
If you know your purpose, it gives you a way to assess new and scary opportunities. Ask yourself: will this take me towards my purpose? If it will, do it! If it won’t, don’t bother. And if you’re not sure, then try something to help you find out, without putting your all into it.
If you have a compelling vision, this is a great filter for identifying areas where you may need to take a few risks and try something different. Ask yourself what needs to happen to achieve my vision? And what’s stopping me from getting there? The blocks you come up with are the areas where you may need to take few risks to move forward.
Finally, your personality and values will help you work out what feels right for you. They will determine how you can take a risk, without losing sight of who you are.
Someone once described taking risks as simply betting on yourself. And if you’re clear on your brand, you know exactly who you are. And therefore you can be confident in the strength of what you’re betting on.
So today, why not challenge yourself to take a few more risks?
