A couple of days ago I was driving down Westheimer street near Beltway 8 in Houston, Tx. I was working a shift for one of my part-time gigs during the lunch hour and I was in between deliveries. As I was sitting in traffic waiting for the light to change from red to green, I started looking around at the surroundings in the area to pass the time. And that’s when I spotted them. That’s when my eyes became locked on a few of what I am calling “professional risk takers”. And for a moment I was actually glad the red light seemed to be taking a little longer to change.
Now I admit without shame, photography is NOT one of my strongest creative skills. As a matter a fact when it’s time to take pictures I’m one of those people who usually asks that someone else take the pic because “I don’t take good pictures on my phone.” My family will vouch for this. I have messed up plenty of good pic family photo opportunities. However, when I saw the “professional risk takers” at work, oddly, I immediately felt like I wanted to take a picture of them because seeing them inspired me. (Sidenote: It’s absolutely amazing to me how easily we can be inspired if we open ourselves up to the miraculous inspiration that exists in the ordinary and mundane things that we often take for granted.)
Well…. as you may have figured out by now from the picture I took, the “professional risk takers” I’m referring to are actually professional window cleaners. And although because of the distance I couldn’t actually make out how many of them were on the scaffolding. What I did know for sure is that those window cleaners without a doubt fall in the category of paid “professional risk takers”. I estimate that they were over 20 stories up on the side of this particular building. WOW! It was inspiring for me just to see them at work simply doing something that is so risky yet they probably do each and every day.
I guess it inspired me because I have recently been thinking a lot about taking risk. Especially since I recently took a very big risk in regards to taking a step in the direction of what I believe to be my life’s work. As with most any risk one takes there is always the potential of gaining or losing something of value. This is the very nature of risk. We don’t always know exactly how things are going to turn out although we are of course always hoping for the best. When we decide to take a risk we hope that things will work out in our favor. But in reality, we know that this doesn’t always happen. Even with calculated risk there still remains a measure of uncertainty. Because of this, taking risk always requires having courage.
As I looked at the “professional risk takers” (i.e.window cleaners) I marvelled about how everyday they have to choose to take the risk associated with getting their job done. Everyday they obviously choose not to be overtaken by fear of the fact of knowing they are virtually suspended in air on one of those scaffoldings and could be seriously injured or in the worse case scenario could actually lose their lives if they slip or if there is a scaffolding malfunction. However I'm certain that these are not the factors they choose to focus on (i.e. what could go wrong). No! Instead they focus on being safe and getting the job done.
And so should it be with you and with me after we have decided to take a risk regarding situations in our lives. When we have had the courage to make changes we believe will set us on the path of improving our lives, reaching our goals, and achieving our dreams let NOT our focus be on the worse case scenario. Nor on everything that could possibly go wrong.
Yes, it will be scary! And yes, there is a possibility that things won’t work out exactly like we've planned. But even so, let us instead be inspired by the “professional risk takers” and learn a powerful lesson from their daily example. Let us learn to do what we need to do to get the job done, to do it to the best of our ability and to trust that after giving our best everything will work out just as it is supposed to work out.
For me that means to keep on writing everyday and to keep learning and doing whatever is required to build a successful blog and freelance writing career so that I'll have a platform to continue to use words to inspire, motivate and encourage others. I believe this is my part to play in efforts to positively impacting the world for the greater good of all. And to me that is definitely worth taking a few risks every now and then!
But what about you? What risk is your life calling you to take? Whatever it is, I hope that you will consider the daily activities of the “professional risk takers”. If they can get up on the scaffolding everyday and work without fear, then surely you can do whatever it is your life is calling for you to do! Or would you rather be getting up on one of the scaffolding? I know I wouldn’t. And I'd bet you’d rather take the risk of doing something else too. What is it? What do you need to do take your life in the direction of your goals and dreams or just to make it better? Once you've determined what it is I hope you will then have the courage to take the risk and get it done!
Now I admit without shame, photography is NOT one of my strongest creative skills. As a matter a fact when it’s time to take pictures I’m one of those people who usually asks that someone else take the pic because “I don’t take good pictures on my phone.” My family will vouch for this. I have messed up plenty of good pic family photo opportunities. However, when I saw the “professional risk takers” at work, oddly, I immediately felt like I wanted to take a picture of them because seeing them inspired me. (Sidenote: It’s absolutely amazing to me how easily we can be inspired if we open ourselves up to the miraculous inspiration that exists in the ordinary and mundane things that we often take for granted.)
Well…. as you may have figured out by now from the picture I took, the “professional risk takers” I’m referring to are actually professional window cleaners. And although because of the distance I couldn’t actually make out how many of them were on the scaffolding. What I did know for sure is that those window cleaners without a doubt fall in the category of paid “professional risk takers”. I estimate that they were over 20 stories up on the side of this particular building. WOW! It was inspiring for me just to see them at work simply doing something that is so risky yet they probably do each and every day.
I guess it inspired me because I have recently been thinking a lot about taking risk. Especially since I recently took a very big risk in regards to taking a step in the direction of what I believe to be my life’s work. As with most any risk one takes there is always the potential of gaining or losing something of value. This is the very nature of risk. We don’t always know exactly how things are going to turn out although we are of course always hoping for the best. When we decide to take a risk we hope that things will work out in our favor. But in reality, we know that this doesn’t always happen. Even with calculated risk there still remains a measure of uncertainty. Because of this, taking risk always requires having courage.
As I looked at the “professional risk takers” (i.e.window cleaners) I marvelled about how everyday they have to choose to take the risk associated with getting their job done. Everyday they obviously choose not to be overtaken by fear of the fact of knowing they are virtually suspended in air on one of those scaffoldings and could be seriously injured or in the worse case scenario could actually lose their lives if they slip or if there is a scaffolding malfunction. However I'm certain that these are not the factors they choose to focus on (i.e. what could go wrong). No! Instead they focus on being safe and getting the job done.
And so should it be with you and with me after we have decided to take a risk regarding situations in our lives. When we have had the courage to make changes we believe will set us on the path of improving our lives, reaching our goals, and achieving our dreams let NOT our focus be on the worse case scenario. Nor on everything that could possibly go wrong.
Yes, it will be scary! And yes, there is a possibility that things won’t work out exactly like we've planned. But even so, let us instead be inspired by the “professional risk takers” and learn a powerful lesson from their daily example. Let us learn to do what we need to do to get the job done, to do it to the best of our ability and to trust that after giving our best everything will work out just as it is supposed to work out.
For me that means to keep on writing everyday and to keep learning and doing whatever is required to build a successful blog and freelance writing career so that I'll have a platform to continue to use words to inspire, motivate and encourage others. I believe this is my part to play in efforts to positively impacting the world for the greater good of all. And to me that is definitely worth taking a few risks every now and then!
But what about you? What risk is your life calling you to take? Whatever it is, I hope that you will consider the daily activities of the “professional risk takers”. If they can get up on the scaffolding everyday and work without fear, then surely you can do whatever it is your life is calling for you to do! Or would you rather be getting up on one of the scaffolding? I know I wouldn’t. And I'd bet you’d rather take the risk of doing something else too. What is it? What do you need to do take your life in the direction of your goals and dreams or just to make it better? Once you've determined what it is I hope you will then have the courage to take the risk and get it done!