Not taking risks is risky

It is funny how sometimes a chain of events occur in one's life. As always, I do my best thinking at times on the porcelain thrown, while showering, or rarely during love making. The latter, of course, hasn't occurred in forever. In any case, last weekend, while on the porcelain thrown, I was reading an article about a BMW print advert that was to debut a week ago. The advert was about sticking tongues out at critics who lamented at a then new design cue of the BMW 7 series when it came out in 2001, and also spotlights that same vehicle moonlighting said critics with its rump. That design cue, of course, was the style of the 7's rear.

Why is it that BMW allowed such advert to portray its image, instead of the more traditional approaches that hint at "The Ultimate Driving Machine"? It falls in line with the new ad campaign they are trying to pitch, that ideas are everything. All good ideas eventually go towards the ultimate driving machine, instead of meeting their fate in the board room when the least bit of resistance rears its ugly head. I am sure you have seen similarly themed adverts on TV by BMW. Anyway, this particular print advert highlighted a design cue that still exists today from a couple years ago! Why the delay? As it was touted ugly, today Mercedes-Benz and Toyota have picked up such design cues. So who's got the last laugh?

As a car enthusiast, the point here is that BMW took a risk knowing that the design didn't fit the general mold but boldly went ahead towards inclusion in the final production stage. A good thing came out of it, and that example made me realize how true their headline is, even in life: "Not taking risks is risky."

Of course, right after experiencing such life-altering revelation, I had to drag myself to work in Wilmington, DE over that same weekend. During work, I had an interesting chat at three in the morning with a client personnel who has been extremely critical of my company's services. And rightfully so, because my predecessor and previous project management had done a poor job of doing things right, and he had nothing good to say. Fortunately for me, he was able to see the attention and care I was affording them, and he was very appreciative. Then he proceeded to ask if I was married or engaged, how old I was, where I stood in life, etc; as if I was sitting in his living room, all pimple-faced, waiting on his daughter for our first date!

I'll tell you what. This man made a very compelling argument. His advice essentially boiled down to the following: Quit your job next month {he would have said next week, but I had to return next month to complete the project}, sell off all your non-essentials, get rid of your mortgage and car, and live life to the fullest for a couple years while you're still young. How? He proceeded to push me towards a company he had worked with when he was younger and before he got married, telling me the life that he had lived, and the experiences he had gone through, almost carefree. I had work to do, so I was mostly listening. But I did note the name of the company. I even took sneak peeks at it whenever I had the free time during work.

While flying home this past Sunday morning from Wilmington, thoughts went through my mind, even though I should have been catching some shut eye. And for a few moments ever since, no matter how brief they were, I almost wanted to take his advice, while reiterating "not taking risks is risky" over and over in my head. I am 28 years old. I have years ahead of me in life. Or maybe not. I don't know any certainty about my future. What am I doing here? Why have I worked at my company for five years, even though I have lamented the predicaments associated with my job to my friends and family? Am I not taking any risk at all?

Well, to my surprise, the last two days have been interesting and strange. Events have occurred. Quickly. Much without planning and forethought. They happened so fast that now I am standing at the edge of a cliff. I can feel the edge, but I have not seen it yet. I am close. Very close. And it may be just a few days from now that the blindfold will be taken off of me, and a decision must be made, equally as quick, on whether I should jump or not.

{...to be continued...}