Go for It.  Proceed with Caution.  Trust, but Verify.

Each of these words of advice or statements of action makes sense on their own, but they make great sense when considered together. People who know me, really know me, recognize that I'm fairly conservative in my actions even though I take risks - particularly in business. I know that taking risks has been the way I've grown the fastest. Taking risks has taught me to be less afraid to speak from my head, heart and soul, to be honest, and to show my vulnerability. Each time I start one of these messages/blogs, I am striving to use any insights I've learned or witnessed to become a better person, a better leader and a more successful business person. From the comments I receive, it seems that people appreciate that I come from a place of authenticity. It's certainly not that I have any special or particular wisdom, knowledge or skill. Rather I am a student of those who do. I'm an observer of what's going on around me and I'm prepared to say what seems to be in many people's heads, which normally remains unsaid. So that's why although "Proceed with Caution" and "Trust, but Verify" are a big part of how I operate, more often I try to employ "Go for It."

I rely on "Go for It" when connecting others to facilitate working towards common goals and business opportunities in as collaborative a way as possible. I work on supporting myself and others to be successful, work to remove outdated procedural barriers and seek to create highly profitable, ethical and sustainable revenue streams. All this is somewhat risky because it requires a willingness to put oneself out there where things like rejection, skepticism, and even animosity can hit your psyche like blows to the gut. But "Go for It" just seems to make more sense in the ever increasingly competitive marketplace we operate in. And while it's sometimes easier to back it up a bit, proceed with caution and use the "trust, but verify" approach, or see if someone else picks up the charge so they take the risk instead taking initiative and going for it, not giving in to that temptation is much more beneficial in the long run. It really isn't that much easier to dismiss new opportunities rather than put yourself out there - going for what you think you might want. In other words, it's worth the risk! And even if you try something new or take the lead on a project or effort and you fail, there's almost always a way to recover. Nothing that we think is devastating is ever as bad as we envision it.

"Going for It" also rightfully implies that what you're doing is a stretch. Why is that important? Because it's rare when stretching in attitude, skill or most anything, isn't useful. Stretching creates an atmosphere where agility and measurable value flourish. That's vital since every day we must continue to ask ourselves not only if we're adding value, how is our value getting measured and are we adding value  enough for it to count? Let's face it, most of you who are reading this have experience on your side, which should make "Going for It" the right approach even though the natural tendency of getting more fearful as you age, acts as a combating force. Which of those do you think will serve you better?