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.

Stephanie Tisch | Creative Director, Seraph Design Founder, Libre Aerial Fitness // Yoga

My mom came from a generation where people worked their entire lives for a single organization until they either died or retired. Nine-to-five. Five days a week. Two weeks of vacation each year; three after a decade of service. No joy. No autonomy. Just a cog in someone else’s machine. Read more>>

Heather Couch | Ceramic Artist & Professor

I love being an artist because it gives me a safe playground in which to take risks. Ceramic materials especially lend themselves to being stretched to their limits, and I invite failure and faulting into the making process. Sometimes a material cracks or bends in beautiful ways that it would not have if I did everything “properly” in the preparation of the piece. I often push the clay to make mistakes in one way or another so that I can have the natural properties exposed and the rough but beautiful textures it creates. Read more>>

Ninaa Londyn | Model, Self-care / Mental health Content Creator

Taking risks has played a major role in my life. I would not be here today if I was too scared to take a risk and bet on myself and moved to NY when I was 17 years old. In Life, I believe in order to get to the next life, you have to be willing to get uncomfortable. We always hear “Great Risks come with great results” and that statement is very true. When you are trying to get to a new level of success, you have to do things you’ve never done before and take the risks. Your Future self will thank you. Read more>>

Tamara Jimenez | Cosmetic Nurse Injector/CEO of Beauty By Mara Inc.

Risk is something that is necessary in order to evolve. With every risk there comes a reward. Once you get over the fear of failing, risk becomes exciting! Read more>>