Do you understand the relationship between risk and reward, dreams and struggles?
They say that taking big risks makes you more available to reap big rewards. Would you agree with me when I say that your reward is proportionate to the amount of risk that you take? You see, some people want big rewards, but they’re unwilling to take big risks. I don’t think the universe works that way.
Forgive me for talking about my buddy Adam a lot, but today I just had to share some of his experiences and how they relate to this risk vs reward topic. This story goes back roughly 35 years ago. His mother had just graduated college and decided to become an Allstate agent.
Allstate is one of the largest and well known insurance companies. Did she take a big risk in becoming an agent? I would say so. Allstate compensates their agents when they make sales and keep customers. They receive a passive income, so to speak, on all of their accounts.
What was the risk that she took?
She willingly took a job opportunity that had no promise of pay or benefits. How’s that for secure? Not too many Americans at this day and age are willing to deal with anything that isn’t ‘secure’.
Not only did she have to study and acquire specific licenses, she had to acquire all of her own customers. This is a case study in risk vs reward. The money in the insurance business is great. Once you have your licenses and certifications, you can then begin to accumulate a client base. You’ve got to learn people skills, sales skills, prospecting skills, and customer retention skills. All of which take time and experience.
Let’s fast forward past the struggle of building an insurance business and talk about the reward. She and her family have won many spectacular trips to places around the world. They’ve been on cruises, seen most of the states, and visited exotic countries like Greece, Spain, England, Italy, Ireland, France, Canada and Singapore.
There truly is a big reward sitting on the other side of you taking big risks. I’m willing to bet that his mother had no idea how big the reward would be for her years of struggle and learning.
Do bloggers experience a similar situation? Let’s talk about John Chow for a moment. Do you think that he knew his income would be nice and sexy when he first started writing online? Do you think he ever thought he’d drive nice cars? He took a risk in doing something that others probably thought was stupid. Now he can say, “I told you so!” to all of his friends and family that ever doubted.
Conclusion
Don’t be afraid to take risks. The bigger the risk, the bigger the reward. Just know that for every big dream, there’s a big struggle that accompanies it. Don’t make the mistake of dreaming big, but only wanting a small struggle. Learn from the Allstate case study and know that you will be compensated for all of your hard work.
Happy blogging!