Go on, take a little risk !

By Michelle Bailey

I don’t know about you, but Covid 19 feels like a long time ago, however I feel the effects of it every day. Like so many, Covid left me feeling like I didn’t want to leave the house, not only that but it made me lose my confidence in so many ways. I was worried about meeting friends in public places, I didn’t want to go to events, I had a major panic attack when thinking about a wedding abroad which wasn’t for another 12 months! I was retreating inside myself, inside my home and I was very good at hiding this from other people.  

Moving … 

In the summer of 2021, I decided that things had to change, I started a process of consciously - pushing myself outside of my comfort zone- taking a little risk! After years of saying that I didn’t want to move away from the area I lived in, I finally decided that it was time for change. My family and I moved to a brand-new area where we didn’t know anybody. This forced me out of the house because I had to find my feet in a new area. I had to push myself to find new places to take my son and whilst this wasn’t always a success (and sometimes made me a little anxious), slowly I was able to find safe and secure places that I felt comfortable visiting, I also made some wonderful new friends which was a lovely bonus. 

Flying high … 

I decided that just getting back to how I was pre-Covid wasn’t enough of a challenge! I’ve always had a fear of heights but when a relative was gifted a hot air balloon ride, I jumped at the chance to join them. Unfortunately, the ride was postponed just hours before launch, but on the day, I actually felt excitement alongside the fear! I spent weeks talking myself through the process, knowing exactly what the routine for the day would be so that I could keep some semblance of control over the situation. I reached out to the organisers with any questions I had so that I had as much information about the trip as I could get, making me feel safe and supported. I have no doubt that I would have felt terrified when we lifted off, but it is something I had prepared myself for to the best of my ability, and I look forward to the ride next April. 

Driving … 

Another way for me to push myself was to start driving again. For the last 14 years I’ve had a driver’s licence, but I’ve always been a nervous driver and as a result I hadn’t driven in around 11 years and even before this I only ever did the odd journey. I started small, just driving the car around my driveway (guided by my husband) and then branched out to shorter journeys on a route I knew and was comfortable with. Slowly I’ve pushed myself to drive further afield, and on routes I’d previously have avoided. I faced my fear of driving on my own by taking small steps to push myself further and further out of my comfort zone and in doing so, increased my confidence.  

Dancing … 

The final big push for me was finding something for myself that would continually push me outside my comfort zone. As a mother in a new area, it’s been great finding classes for my son, but I found that more recently I needed something just for me. This time I found a dance class! I’ve always enjoyed dancing, but to turn up to a dance class on my own in an unfamiliar place was a massive step for me. I was full of anxiety and nearly didn’t go to the first class. But when I got there, I realised that it was filled with people just like me, people facing similar challenges but who just love to dance and wanting to make new friends. It’s been a wonderful experience. It has really pushed and challenged me in such a good way. I’ve even just taken part in a small dance show, which if you’d told me two years ago I’d be doing, I’d never have believed it.  

So why share this story? 

I’ve decided to share my story, not only because it may resonate with a few people, but also because it relates to what we do as consultants. When you work within an organisation as an employee, it’s very easy to go in and do your day job and never question what’s going on, never put your head above the parapet to change something that might need changing. We often don’t challenge processes because ‘they have always been this way’. That’s where I had reached with my home life: I became too comfortable with the way things were, even though I knew things could improve, and I didn’t want to confront this.  

Sometimes in business it can be a challenge to focus, for example, on financial crime because it isn’t a revenue generator, but there comes a time when we need to push ourselves outside of that comfort zone, take a little risk and ask whether systems and processes are still working as they should be. In an ever-changing market environment are our tools still fit for purpose or should we start asking those difficult questions – do we need to change something? I had to ask myself difficult questions and seek help from others constantly throughout my journey. I had to speak to experts to better understand situations and ask for guidance and support.  

Then there is the risk 

In life it could easily be argued that without taking a few risks things would be boring. In business, there’s no revenue without risk. For me, risk taking started out as something unfamiliar and scary and turned into something fun. However, you must understand the risks you are taking, you may need to push the boundaries and take more risk, or you may have to pull back a little. We must manage risk to make money in business and to have some fun in life: that’s what I did.  

As someone recently said to me, working with external people isn’t always just about the actual help: it’s about having an expert, a sounding board and someone who is going to help you figure something out so that you don’t have to do it on your own. 

At Shapes First we can help you understand the risks you are taking, where you can push a little and where you might need to pull back. We help you take practical steps to develop, shape and grow your business whilst remaining in control and complying with your regulatory obligations.