Image by: Unsplash
By Dave Andrews

Has there ever been a time in your life when you wished you had been a little more courageous and a little less guarded in the chances you took?

A couple of years ago, my friend Daniel received an offer from his boss to spearhead a new account. However, he didn’t take it because he was a candidate for promotion in his current department and he was worried that he might not be able to deliver as an account manager.

Unfortunately, he didn’t get the promotion he was expecting. It was awarded to another employee whom the company thought was braver, more flexible and a better fit for the job.

Sometimes, in life, you have to take bold actions to show how determined you are to go after your dreams.

Being too safe or too cautious may be hindering you from achieving your goals. So, here are four factors that could determine your success and happiness in life.

Challenge Yourself to Take “Educated” Risks

Many people avoid taking risks and just choose to settle on what they have because they are afraid that their actions could leave them vulnerable. However, what these people probably don’t know is that there are two kinds of risks, the blind risk and the educated risk.

The former means taking action without knowing the consequences and without understanding what is at stake. The latter, on the hand, is based on gathered information and calculated potential payoffs. Taking risks is not about leaving everything to chance but about knowing the math and weighing the probability of gains versus losses.

In business, for example, you could lose a lot of important opportunities if you’re always underestimating your ability to handle the consequences and if you’re always playing it safe.

According to Jayson Demers in his piece “4 Risky Marketing Ideas that Paid Off,” taking risks is vitally important if you want your marketing strategies to pay off in the long term.

By allowing yourself to live up to your full potential, you will be able to:

• Stand out from the competition and generate customer visibility as well as recognition
• Be more creative and break through the plateaus of old marketing strategies
• Encourage customer loyalty

Get Away From Normal Life by Traveling Once in a While

Two years ago, my friend Melo, quit his 8-5 job to become a full-time travel blogger. He started it as a sideline gig until he began to have sponsors and a lot of followers. He is now one of the world’s best travel writers and his website has become one of Asia’s favorite.

Well, I am not suggesting that you also leave your full-time job and embark on something entirely alien to you to get away from normal life. You can just simply plan out a little adventure to break up the monotony, explore the world, and live on your own terms.

Traveling empowers you in so many ways you could only imagine. It gives you the type of freedom and excitement that not all people are blessed enough to experience. It can also strengthen your relationship and fulfill both you and your partner’s dreams.

To help you plan for an amazing vacation with your spouse, here’s “5 Ways to Take Care of Your Bucket List and Your Marriage.”

The most practical advice for me is #4: Don’t go broke on your first trip. Balance, compromise, and being realistic are necessary to create a satisfying experience that is healthy on the budget.

Expand Your Awareness Beyond Your Own Life

Learn about the people and the things around you, how they behave, how they think and how things operate. Familiarizing yourself with other cultures, communities and their practices furthers your understanding of harmony and peace among all beings.

Having knowledge of connectedness and the existence of energy that binds us all boosts your spiritual health which significantly contributes to your holistic healing.

To help you understand where your energy and spirituality reside, check this out – “The Metaphysical Meanings of Specific Physical Pains.”

Break Bad Habits, Conquer Yourself

Having self-control or the courage to break away from the habits, which are not serving you, affords you the opportunity to have a better life and to attain the happiness that you deserve.

So, release your power within and become everything that you have the potential to be by having faith in yourself that you are capable of eliminating your unhealthy habits and changing your circumstances.

If you’re doing 50 push-ups a day, push yourself a little more until you can break Chadoy Leon’s beastly record of 1,200 push-ups a day.

Guys, be the hero of your own story by taking risks, going above and beyond and conquering your own self. Take full responsibility of your life and remember that your success and happiness are entirely yours to make!