You have many opportunities to shoulder risk.
There's no shortage of chances to gamble.
You can take a chance that the parachute will open before you hit the ground.
You can gamble on an investment or on next Saturday's big football game.
Turn over your card, spin the wheel, roll the dice, flip a coin...
The world is a game of chance.
Your odds vary based on the experience.
Sometimes, risks are relatively slight and the potential upside of taking a chance is clearly worth a potential failure.
In other cases, things get a little more fuzzy.
Big payoffs with low likelihoods of success aren't easy to judge.
Small advantages may not seem worth the effort in "sure thing" situations.
It's always tough to rely on someone else.
There are times (our health comes to mind) when the idea of taking a chance seems downright foolish.
Separating the good wagers from the bad ones is a matter of assessing risk and evaluating reward.
It requires assessments of the status quo and predictions about complicated futures.
It's one part gut instinct and two parts of intelligence topped off with a few dashes of luck.
When should you take a chance? That's an impossible question to answer.
It depends on where you are, what you're doing, who you're with, why the whole thing is happening, how you'll take the risk and what you hope to accomplish.
The "should I or shouldn't I" questions are highly personal.
They can be a matter of applied mathematics or a byproduct of faith and belief.
There is an exception to all of this.
There's one time when it almost always makes sense to take a chance.
There's one good bet you shouldn't ignore.
It may not always work, but you'll always get something out of the experience and taking the opportunity can prime you for real success.
You should be taking a chance on yourself.
You should be allowing yourself room to grow and opportunities to try new things.
You should have the self confidence and belief in yourself that will allow you to give yourself the space to soar or crash.
You are a risk worth taking.