If you want to blend in and be like everyone else, play it safe and do what everyone else is doing.
If you want to stand out and leverage the chances of being noticed and doing something special– something that will change your business and life, take risks.
Seth Godin shares his thoughts about “playing it safe” with me here.
What do you think? Will you be taking Seth’s advice moving forward in business this year?
I would if I were you.
Consider the following:
Taking risks can lead to innovation and differentiation. For example, Uber, the ride-sharing company, took a risk by introducing a new business model that challenged the traditional taxi industry. This risk paid off as the company became one of the most valuable start-ups in the world.
Taking risks can open up new markets and opportunities. Amazon took a risk by expanding from an online bookstore to a marketplace for all types of goods. This risk led to the company becoming one of the largest retailers in the world.
Taking risks can lead to increased efficiency and cost savings. Netflix took a risk by transitioning from a DVD-by-mail service to an online streaming platform. This risk led to a significant reduction in overhead costs and increased efficiency for the company.
Taking risks can lead to learning and growth. The Virgin Group, the conglomerate company founded by Richard Branson, took risks by venturing into different industries such as music, airlines and space travel. These risks led to the company’s constant learning and growth, making it one of the most successful and diversified companies in the world.
Taking risks can lead to new breakthroughs and advancements. OpenAI, the company everyone is talking about right now, took a risk by developing ChatGPT, a large language model, which is capable of understanding and generating human-like text. This risk paid off as the model has been used in many applications and industries, such as chatbots, language translation, and content generation. The technology is also being used to develop AI-powered personal assistants, which could change the way we interact with technology, and revolutionize many industries.
I took a risk and went to law school. After a few years of trying to blend in and be like all the other lawyers in town, I took a huge risk, pivoted hard, and started being myself, adding a bit of fun and excitement into my daily life. In the end, I started doing things my own way. Looking back over the last 36 years, taking risks and being different allowed me to win trials my friends and peers said were unwinnable and, in the end, stand out above all the noise. Here’s the short story.
How about you?
Will you give yourself permission to take risks this year?
Enjoy the journey and make each day your masterpiece.
Mitch Jackson, Esq.
2013 California Litigation Lawyer of the Year
2009 Orange County Trial Lawyer of the Year
MitchJackson.com
