Risk: exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance.
I woke up this morning with the word “risk” on my mind. No, it wasn’t a nightmare. This concept is front and center in my brain because I am embarking on what might be defined as a risk; the publishing of my first novel, Duck Pond Epiphany. (Please check back over the next few months, I’ll be happy to include you in this intriguing process.)
I have always been somewhat of a risk taker. To be clear, you won’t find me jumping out of an airplane or sailing solo around the globe – neither of these offer me a fun thrill. (All right, I do enjoy cruising the waters off of British Columbia in the boat my husband built, though we are happiest when we can see land.) But tossing my novel out into the capricious winds of readers? Yep, this is the kind of risk that makes me downright dizzy with excitement.
So many people hold back from their dreams because of the fear associated with taking a risk. I get this. Slamming into the earth from a few thousand feet equals a kind of fear I have no interest in experiencing. Then again, skydiving has never been one of my dreams. Publishing a novel after spending over 20 years as a nonfiction writer? That’s a dream I am willing to take a risk for.
What’s your dream? Is it finally time you took the risk?