What comes without risk comes also without reward. Okay, so that may not be 100% true, but it certainly hits a vein of truth. Think about your typical 9 to 5 job. You sit in your cubicle, emailing dog pictures to your coworker, waiting until it's time to go home. On the one hand, yes, you are getting paid to do... whatever it is you're supposed to be doing; but, on the other, the gain is so linear, so banal even, that it hardly counts in my book.

I'm not suggesting you quit your job, though. Hold up a second and hear me out.

That job is not only an income but a security that you likely depend on. Do not abandon it haphazardly at the notion of a golden horizon or what-have-you. Not all risks are worth taking. Take gambling for instance. Sure, you might walk away with an extra $1000 in your pocket. Or you might walk away empty-handed, having spent several hundred in the process. The odds in this scenario are anything but in your favor.

Life, however, has odds of its own. Chances are if you're too afraid to ask for that girl's number in the current moment, you never will. What is the probability she provides those sweet digits? Hard saying, but there's a 0% chance if you don't act.

Most risks are worth taking. Telling someone how you truly feel, entering a competition, etc. etc. has a decent probability that your dignity gets damaged in the process. If that isn't something you're willing to put on the line, then forget I said anything.

The problem with risks is that they exist at such a quantity we don't always perceive them upon encountering them. A simple lull in conversation presents an opportunity, for instance, to continue the conversation, end it, or change the subject. How is this a risk? Well, let's say this person is a romantic partner or a potential employer. What that lull represents has a direct bearing on your future. Do you press whatever matter created the pause, bringing to light the true nature of its causation? Or do you let it go, leaving it forever wandering about your mind?

Our world revolves around money. And, I guess, technically the sun.

Financial risk is perhaps the greatest nail-biter, leading either to tribulation or sheer joy. Here is where I digress briefly into a discourse regarding calculating the risks you debate taking.

Weighing out your options is obviously the first step to take when looking at a risk of larger scale. Realistically speaking, it's steps 2 through 9, too. That's really what it breaks down to. Taking a risk is essentially a binary action. Do or do not. There is no try.

That being said, there are some questions to ask yourself.

Would this risk harm someone else? If the answer to this is yes. You should probably forget you were ever questioning doing it in the first place.

Will this risk ruin my life if it does not go as I hope when taken? Again, there's taking chances and there's taking your life savings to invest in Velcro. Don't do it. It's kind of a rip-off...

If the dad joke hasn't dissuaded you from continuing--great! If it has, you aren't reading this anyway, so I'm just going to take this time to tell you to find a sense of humor. I think they're on clearance at Wal Mart this week.

Most importantly, you need to be honest with yourself about what this risk means. If there is a chance for success, for happiness, to see your life reach new heights... that's potentially a risk you should take. You don't want to suffer from chronic "what-ifs".

Ask others for advice if you need to. I do. My friends and family are probably sick of me asking for advice if we're being completely honest. Good thing I pay them well for their efforts. Just kidding. I'm too broke for that.

I'll close with this thought: You are the only person on this Earth who truly knows and understands the contents of your heart, who has a steadfast knowledge of what is most desired in this life. Let THAT guide you as you navigate the sea of possibilities.