5- Rocking the boat.

This post is the sixth of a series of preparation exercises for Bring Yourself To. The purpose of this exercise is to improve your ability take risks in your own behalf instead of choosing to be “secure” - a sorry form of safety.

What IS risk, anyway? I define risk as a certain uncertainty with disruptive potential. My definition does not predict disruption with certainty, but merely declares my uncertainty. Yet, it’s intriguing to notice how often I act as though I was, or could be, certain about risk. I’m pretty good at behaving as if the imagined disruption were guaranteed, then avoiding whatever I’m uncertain about.

This tactic helps me avoid possible downsides, but it also guarantees that I’ll never experience any upside, either. In work situations, the very lack of confirmation my avoiding provides can encourage even more of the same avoidance, as if it were necessary, beneficial, and appropriate. I can feel safe when I’m only secure within chains of my own making.

How sane is that?

Look back through your work history and identify a couple of ‘proudest accomplishments.’ If you’re experience is anything like mine, you’ll notice one attribute common to these peak experiences. You stepped out of some safe, predictable space. You rocked the boat a little. This amplified instability, but also pushed you into some different equilibrium. You’re still proud about the result.

Chances are pretty good that at least one of those stepping outs was inadvertent. You leaned a bit and the boat started rocking, and you found a different balancing point. That’s good. One of the best ways to learn how to rock a boat is to notice that sometimes you rocked the boat without intending to, and the boat didn’t sink.

Accumulate a few of these experiences, and deliberately rocking the boat does not seem so dangerous. You’re probably in no danger of becoming a compulsive boat rocker. Check with others. I’ll bet their experience has been similar.

The workplaces where people are most terrified of being fired are those where no one is ever fired. The lack of experience surviving the risky experience fuels not safety, but paranoia.

Try something a little outrageous today. Confront that bully. Refuse that assignment. Say one thing you’re convinced can’t be mentioned, and see what happens. Some water might splash over the gunwale, your feet might even get wet, but your buoyancy might just be improved, especially if you find yourself riding the peak of some unanticipated wave as a result.