I have never been a big risk taker. For the last 26 years, I have always been the one to play it safe. It was my mindset that I was better safe than sorry. When it came time to apply for colleges, I only applied to the ones I thought I would have a good chance of getting into. When people ask, “whats the craziest thing you have ever done”, I always draw a blank. I haven’t done anything crazy. Now I am realizing, that behavior hasn’t gotten me very far in life. There have been tons of missed opportunities because I was too scared to take even a simple risk like asking a question.

Last month when I turned 26, I made a promise to myself that I would take a few risk every once in a while. Nothing too crazy or that would result in death, but risk that would be beneficial to my well being and make me happy. I am happy to say that I have stayed true to my promise. Unexpectedly just a few days after my birthday I quit my job. It was of bit of a rash decision. When I went into work that day I had no intention of quitting, but within a few hours that toxic work environment reared its ugly head again. Although I’ve wanted to quit before, I constantly told myself that I was lucky to have a job and I shouldn’t quit. However, that day it dawned on me that somethings just aren’t worth it if you go to sleep every night dreading the thought of waking up. Every moment I stayed in that place I was missing out on the opportunity to find something better.

I may not be in the position that I thought I would’ve been in at my age, but I’m at peace, and that’s all I can ask for. Now when I go to sleep, I’m thankful to wake up feeling hopeful. Taking risk isn’t as scary as I once thought. The burden of status quo weighs a lot heavier on your conscience than the result of taking a risk.