Do you constantly ask yourself if your life-changing decisions are bold moments of courage or rash lapses in judgment?
I do.
All the time.
When you listen to CEOs and billionaires talk about their success, you often hear stories of taking risks, making leaps of faith, and going all in. These same exact stories can also be found amongst the leaders of failed companies and business ventures. How can we tell if an action is bold or reckless? Do we have to wait until we know the outcome of our decision before labeling it one or the other?
Let us take a look…
Bold is defined as “showing an ability to take risks; confident and courageous.” To be bold, it takes fearlessness, imagination, and daring. You need to step out of your comfort zone and take those risks to get the big payoff.
Reckless is defined as “without thinking or caring about the consequences; displaying a lack of careful consideration.” To be reckless, it only takes apathy or idleness.
When we compare these definitions, we find that there is in fact a clear distinction. The very best and most carefully crafted plan may still fail, but that does not change it from a bold decision to a reckless one. A rash judgment may show you some luck and bring you great success, but the initial leap will always have been reckless.
From this perspective, we see that being bold is as easy as being prepared. You’ve thought it out and the evidence you gathered indicates that you are most likely to succeed. Now you just need to act! Bravery has nothing to do with it; it’s all logic and faith.
Others may say that you are being reckless when you want to make a significant life change, but they don’t know the thought, research, and time that might have gone into that decision. In the end, we should take a lesson from one of my favorite books of all time and ask ourselves: What would I do if I weren’t afraid?