People hate taking risks.

In the last 20 years, we have re-wired the human brain to know every outcome.

No one gets lost on their way to a restaurant (Google Maps)
No one goes on a truly blind first date (thanks Instagram)
No one stands on the side of the road in the rain hoping a taxi will come (thanks Uber)

We hate uncertainty.

And that’s exactly what Risk is: the possibility that something unpleasant will happen.

But through avoiding uncertainty, you’re slowly signing up for the biggest risk of all:

Having a shitty life.

No one sets out to have a shitty life. Most people try to do the opposite.

So we become really good at avoiding the bad stuff.

But we’re afraid to do the really great stuff. So, we play it safe.

Because to really commit would mean going all in… and that’s just too risky. Right?

2 words stuck out most to me when reading that screenshot above:

Preserve Optionality.

Today, people are terrified to commit to a decision.

To avoid sounding preachy, let me be the first to admit that I’m guilty of it too:

I can’t pick a movie to watch because… what if something else is better?

And it’s because going into a decision, we analyze ALL of the risk.

Unfortunately, it’s a muscle we never had to learn much growing up. Aside from what sports you’re playing and who you’re asking to Prom, you make very few decisions from the ages 0 - 18.

So, we default to the same.

Scrolling more on Netflix. Working the same job. Swiping more on Hinge.

We assess risk going into a NEW decision like crazy.

But for some reason, we throw this idea out the window after the decision has been made:

Why?

Well I think it comes down to 1 simple reason:

Our “risk meter” was designed during a time of survival.

Not during a time when we have our basic needs met, and instead want to focus on living a better life.

And so when we are making decisions we think there is a ton of risk.

See chart below:

And it’s because we are programmed to do that.

But the reality is, that's not true in today’s world.

5,000 years ago, if you moved to a new city and didn't like it, you died from lack of employment, starvation, etc.

Today? You move back home.

A lot of what we have been taught is “risky” is in fact not.

I like the Jeff Bezos door analogy:

There are 2 types of decisions you can make:

One-way doors (irreversible, high-risk):

Once you make this decision it's very hard (if not impossible) to go back.

These are the types of decisions that are actually risky.

Two-way doors (reversible, low-risk):

These are the types of decisions that can lead to an amazing life and if it doesn't work out are incredibly easy to reverse.

And they are low risk. Here's what the risk actually looks like when you totally fuck up and make a bad decision on a two-way door.

There is some risk with switching costs.

But it’s much much much lower than everyone thinks it is.

Here’s the kicker. Almost every door is a 2 way door.

So much of life is reversible.

And you can make the argument about wasting time all you want.

But what about the wasted time of settling? Of living the life that you. don’t want to live?

Unfortunately, we are really bad at spotting that in the short term. So we wait.

I think we all know what a bad life looks like.

But what does a good life look like?

I think the foundation of a good life is good relationships & a sense of purpose.

Everyone wants a life full of stories but few people have the courage to make the decisions needed to live those stories. Out of fear of “risk”.

My biggest fear for a lot of my generation is that most people are going to look at their life in hindsight and remember very little of it because of all the time that they spent online and not actually making those big decisions to live the lives they want.