Shoot your shot? Take a chance? Society bombards us with messages, phrases, examples and stories of how taking risk is the key to success, but is anything ever that simple? We asked some of the brightest folks we know to tell us about how they think about risk. We’ve shared their responses below.

Rob Janicke | Writer/Author

I’ve been chasing risks for over half a century now. As a kid in the ’70s and ’80s, all of my heroes were risk-takers. I inherently knew there was a link between taking risks and genuine happiness. Growing up in a single-parent household, my mom had to balance risk-taking and stability as she was raising two children on her own. She worked two and three jobs for the entirety of my childhood which led to risking almost all of her time with my sister and me as she had no choice but to leave us with friends and family, and sometimes alone, as she went off to work. Read more>>

Liv Charette | Recording artist, gamer & content creator

My philosophy in my life, in my career, and in anything I want to pursue has always been twofold: 1. What’s the worst that could happen? (Most of the time, the worst case scenario isn’t ever as bad as you think it is, so you might as well just go for it) 2. Why not me? (Anyone you’ve ever looked up to had to start somewhere to get to where they are today. Why can’t you be the person someone looks up to, or strives to be like one day?) Read more>>