I read an article on HBR about entrepreneurship that stimulated a few thoughts I'd like to share (click here to see the article). Here's a little back-story .
The article best describes entrepreneurship as an addiction that cannot be helped. It has nothing to do with your attitude, organizational style, or lifestyle. You are born with it and you are driven to pursue your goals of entrepreneurship. A lot of climbers are also obsessed. As John Krakaur puts it, "Most climbers aren't in fact deranged, they're just infected with a particularly virulent strain of the Human Condition." In other words, climbers are always looking towards the next great pursuit in order to achieve the most out of life.
I'm someone who enjoys the thrill of rock climbing, mountain biking, snowboarding, surfing, caving, etc. Chances are if you tell me about a new adrenaline packed adventure, I'll quickly take a liking to it. On the same token, these are all risky activities. Rock climbing gear clearly warns the user in some context "climbing is a sport where you may become seriously injured or die." It takes a special kind of person to climb a mountain where your only protection is a rope attached to a piece of flimsy hardware in the wall.
Now I pose the question to you:
Is your acceptable economic risk (investing stocks, gambling, pursuing new ventures, etc.) related to your acceptable physical risk (rock climbing, bungee jumping, etc.)?
After talking to a few friends with a similar mindset, they would argue that they are completely unrelated, however, I say differently. A higher level of acceptable risk applies to everything you do. What do you think?
I've included a few pictures in case you're not too familiar with rock climbing.
Awesome post Luke. I've always wanted to mountain climb, since I've always been an outdoor sport-a-holic, and if nothing else the pictures were great.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the article yet, I intend to because it might be a topic for the paper we're about to write, but I've always been intrigued by entrepreneurialism. Part of the reason that I'm in a rebuilding stage right now is because of that risk that I was willing to take to go after a greater reward at the end (more money, freedom's of being my own boss, sense of accomplishment, etc.).
I would have to agree with you that the risks you are willing to take physically could be very much related to the one's you're willing to take financially. I've always kind of felt invincible, which needs to stop since I'm 30 hahaha, and that definitely isn't in just one distinct category. I think that if you always have that feeling of wanting something more interesting, challenging, rewarding, etc. in your life you'll always be chasing it until the very end. I for one won't ever be satisfied with where I'm at or what I've done in multiple categories, which might be a disease but I'm not sure if I'd have it any other way.