Risk Aversion

"I have no special talent. I am only passionately curious."

Albert Einstein

Fritillaria purdyi x biflora

I once heard a passionately burnt out co-worker tell someone, she couldn't address the problem because she was a "risk averse person". That in and of itself was not the ridiculous part, many people try to avoid conflict at work and so tend to avoid taking risks because it might lead to conflict.That is  somewhat understandable, as work place conflict is really better avoided if possible. But the way she said it, as if it was something to be proud of and owned, like bragging about not being able to cook, is what turned my stomach. Many can't cook, and not for lack of trying, and again that's understandable. But being proud of something that actually makes you a less capable human is not an admirable trait. Owning proudly that you are risk averse person makes you someone who should not venture out of the very narrow confines of say a small flat in a quiet town, perhaps spending your days stuffing envelopes or knitting sock puppets. Unfortunately people like this often end up in leadership roles, of course upper management thinks this is great, because installing someone who is risk averse below them, will likely not create problems for them from a people management perspective. However it's incredibly troubling that the lack of inspiring and truly dynamic leadership so prevalent in the work place today, is so fueled by risk averse people.

No one truly achieved anything remarkable or great by avoiding risk. You have to bet big to win big, you have to put it all on the line at some point.

I have taken a few chances in my day, some far more calculated then others. I've sunk boats in raging rivers, and I've been lost deep in the woods, and I came out alive on the other side. I've run a lot of experiments with plants in my day, some very scientifically planned out, theorized, calculated, measured and remeasured and some were just throwing darts at a wall. I've come to realize that Mr. Einstein's quote is so incredibly spot on, I've always wondered "what if" and been willing to take the chances required to find out. Maybe growing plants isn't really about any specific special talent, and green thumbs are really just the mark of someone passionate enough to take risks and keep trying, and keep trying, and keep trying.

Maybe some people just want to exist through this life. But not me, take risks, roll the dice, burn the sauce, whatever it takes to avoid becoming that jaded, burnt out person that won't take a chance on anything, because like Mark Twain said, "The person who won't read, has no advantage over those that can't read".

Ahhh.....flower bulbs are blooming and sometimes you have to vent.

Cat's and dogs have been falling from the sky as we have been locked in a deluge with temps more like early December.

Cheers to the risk takers and the passionately curious.

Mark