To laugh is to risk appearing a fool. To weep is to risk appearing sentimental. To reach out for another is to risk involvement. To expose feelings is to risk revealing your true self. To place you ideas, your dreams, before a crowd Is to risk rejection. To love is to risk not being loved in return. To live is to risk dying. To hope is to risk disappointment. To try is to risk failure. But risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard In life is to risk nothing. Those who risk nothing, do nothing, have nothing, And become nothing. They may avoid present suffering and sorrow, but they Will not learn, feel, change, grow, love, or live. Chained by their fear, they are slaves who have forfeited Their freedom. Only a person who risks is free. The pessimist complains about the wind; The optimist expects it to change; And the realist adjusts the sails.
Is fear preventing you from taking a necessary risk today?
Many great things come with great Burdens , Though this may be true we cannot reject The opportunities that lie before us. We have to take risks in order to succeed.
"Why would one give up everything to live on the streets of India, when there are so many wonderful opportunities to be homeless right here in America? Closer to home, and without the expense. Whether you stake your spot and sit in meditative contemplation, or stalk the streets like a raving lunatic, like John The Baptist---others---here or there, will still look upon you with total indifference."
The majority of us lead quiet, unheralded lives as we pass through this world. There will most likely be no ticker-tape parades for us, no monuments created in our honor. But that does not lessen our possible impact, for there are scores of people waiting for someone just like us to come along; people who will appreciate our compassion, our unique talents. Someone who will live a happier life merely because we took the time to share what we had to give. Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have a potential to turn a life around. It's overwhelming to consider the continuous opportunities there are to make our love felt.