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.

Antonella Annibale | Makeup Artist

I’ve never really considered myself a risk taker until this very moment. Being asked this question is making me so aware of how every move I’ve made in my life and in my career have been based on taking a risk. When I was 19 I left the small town I grew up in to move to a major city to go to college with the hope of starting a career in Fashion & Cosmetics. I had no idea what to expect but I showed up everyday. I finished school and was hired by one of the most prestigious Cosmetic brands at the time. Read more>>

Liese Victoria | Fashion Stylist & College Instructor

I think about risk more as a challenge to push myself to try something that is not necessarily the safest choice but might be worth the experience and end results. Instead of avoiding risks, I take them to be bold and daring in my life choices. Being a risk taker is how I got to where I am today. I have taken many risks throughout my personal and professional life, all of which have molded and shaped who I became. Even the risks I took that did not pan out so well, helped me develop in life and build my career. Read more>>

Amanda Thorne | Creative Stylist

I wouldn’t have accomplished anything that I have now had I not jumped in feet first and took big risks. In hindsight, my path and decisions seem a little crazy to an outsider, but I’m a firm believer that if you don’t do anything then nothing will happen so why not take the chance. I’ve always had a strange sense of knowing that everything will work out if I just go for it. I’ve never subscribed to doing anything by the book and that works for me, but it may not work for everyone. For some people it’s scary to jump in and not have a complete guide to what happens next. Read more>>

Dorian Lopez | Attorney, Owner of Yogiscapes & Zumba and Pilates Instructor

Taking risks is a necessary pre-requisite to achieving growth and success. You can either live in doubt and fear and come up with all the reasons why you are going to fail, or you can decide that you are going to accomplish whatever you set out to do. Either way, you are right. The way I see it, you have nothing to lose in taking action towards your dreams. Even a business or a relationship that “fails” is an opportunity to learn and grow. The most successful people in the world have “failed” many times. It is perseverance and a positive mindset that will take you wherever you want to go in life. Read more>>

Maryanne Parker | International Etiquette Expert

Being safe is pretty “dangerous”. Risk taking has been very essential and extremely instrumental throughout my entire life. I grew up in communist Bulgaria and when i came to the US i didn’t speak much English, I didn’t have any family or friends, I didn’t have any money either. I became a single parent in just 8 months after my arrival and my kids were a toddler and infant at the time. I had to re-establish my entire life from almost ground zero. You never can be prepared for the consequences to take a risk, but if you do not take a risk, you will be where you have always been. Read more>>