Taking a Risk

I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Love. Relationships. How do you know what to do? How do you know when to open your heart up to someone? How do you know who to let into your world? Is it just a feeling, that loud “YES” or that quiet “of course” that you hear in your heart? Or is it a rational pros and cons list that reveals your answer before you allow yourself to get lost in feelings? Which way is the right way?

It’s a risk, not just to love, but to jump into any kind of relationship– business, friendship, acquaintance, coworker. Any time the world asks you to be vulnerable, you’re risking your heart, reputation, time, passion, energy… what if it doesn’t work out?

I had a discussion with my best friend last night about relationships and we came to the conclusion that we have two different sides: one side that is furiously protecting ourselves from risk, holding back, taking time for us before offering ourselves to someone else; why waste your time with a situation that’s not The One? Then there’s the other side, the passionate side, the side that gets excited and wants to jump in right away, that says, “Fuck risk, this feels good and I like to feel good.”

The final part of today’s thought is really the most provocative. What if it doesn’t work out… but what if it does? That’s what drives us– and not just in relationships. Every time we put ourselves out there, with a work project, following through with a dream, writing a blog post, meeting someone new, falling in love… we do it because we thrive off that unknown “what if”. It might not work out– and, trust me, I’ve experienced that in all parts of my life. But it can’t hold me back. Maybe I’ll write that pro/con list AND pay attention to my feelings, but at the end of the day, the “what if it does?” will propel me forward.

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