After the Battle of Antietam, McClellan informed Washington that it had been a decisive victory for the Union. Not true, though it might have been had he ...
- moved more aggressively after finding the lost order
- attacked one day earlier
- better coordinated his attacks
- instead of holding thousands of troops in reserve committed one more corps after Lee's center had been breached
- used his personal charisma to instill a fighting spirit in his men
Instead, George McClellan was so fearful of losing the battle that he refused to risk winning.
Successful people take risks. If you don't take risks, you will likely work for someone who did.
Of course, not all risks are equal. Successful people take calculated risks. What you have to do is weight the potential benefits against the potential downsides. I did this a month ago when I climbed the Riffelhorn. It was hardly a reckless gamble. It was an informed decision, made after consulting with my mountain guide (who charges $800.00 per day and is worth every penny). Risks are risks because sometimes they don't work out in your favor. Taking a risk is nothing to brag about. It's something you do because you've done enough research to understand that the reward is worth it. You can only regret things you never did. The rest you learn from.
If you want to be on the edge, go for it, but make sure it's very well calculated. And make sure you don't have anything extreme to lose by doing it. It's not about being blindly optimistic. It's about trusting that no matter what happens, you'll be okay.
The difference between being alive and really living is subtle but oh so real.