Update: Low Risk vs. High Risk

Back in November, I wrote about a potentially life-changing opportunity that involved a high risk decision: Low Risk vs. High Risk. I've gotten a couple of interesting reactions to that article.

Reactions
First, some people took encouragement from my series of low-risk decisions that (eventually) got me to a good place in my career with an interesting future. I'm glad that this was helpful, and I hope that no one ever feels stuck. You can make progress with small steps.

Second, many people sent their good wishes to me as I tried to make the decision. And a few have contacted me since then to get an update. Thank you to everyone who was rooting for me to succeed, whatever I did.

So now it's time for an update.

An Unexpected Path
If you did take the time to read through the previous article, or have heard me talk about my career path, you'll know that things don't always go according to plan. And generally, I've ended up in a better situation than I was headed for. I really shouldn't be surprised that the same thing happened here.

Even after my head cleared from travel, illness, and cold medicine, I was still having trouble with the high-risk decision. I was heading toward it, but I was conflicted. Something didn't seem right, but I also felt like I needed to explore things further.

Then things changed. As I was headed in that direction, another path opened up. This is a path that was previously blocked, so I was a bit surprised to see it as an option.

This new path is still high risk. The life-changing aspects are similar to the original. There are fewer unknowns, but that makes things a bit scarier in some ways. Importantly, I'll have the help of a good friend which makes the chances of success much better.

I don't like jumping into a game without knowing all the rules. But that's not possible here. I have some fear, but I think the possibilities are worth the risk.

"Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The brave may not live forever, but the cautious do not live at all all."
[From The Princess Diaries which borrowed from Franklin D. Roosevelt]

I apologize for being intentionally vague here. I'm not comfortable sharing details until it's a bit more clear whether this will be a success or a failure. But I am taking the risk. For the curious, you'll have to wait a bit longer.

So as usual, I'm headed in a general direction and not quite sure exactly where I'll end up. But at this point, I'm at peace with the decision to take the new path. And it's hard to ask for more than that.

[Update August 2017, I took the high risk path: Taking the Risk.]