Why not go out on a limb? Isn’t that where the fruit is?”
–Frank Scully
As we travel life’s journey, we will encounter many opportunities along the way, but there is a catch to most of them. They involve risks. Almost any worthwhile venture that we undertake has the potential for failure, as well as possible success. Since there are few guarantees in life, if we want to try things, we must take calculated risks, and any time that we take risks, there is always the possibility of failure.
Some people have an extreme fear of failure. They love the praise that comes from success, but are horrified even by the thought of possible criticism or embarrassment that they might experience if they fail. This irrational fear can greatly reduce the quality of life and the potential accomplishments for any individual. They never go out on a limb for fear that someone will saw it off and their egos will take a fall. But, because they don’t go out on limbs, they rarely enjoy the fruits of life.
There is not fruit at the end of every limb, and taking some kinds of risks can be reckless. For example, skydiving is not one of the risks that I, personally, would take. Years ago, one of my college students, who was also a reporter for the local newspaper, came to class with a broken leg. When I asked him how he broke his leg, he explained that he was doing a story on skydiving for the newspaper, and he felt he needed to experience the sport firsthand. I’m sure that some avid skydivers believe that the exhilarating thrill that comes from jumping is worth the risk involved. But it would not be for me, and I suspect the same is true for most people.
We must distinguish between those risks that might put us in physical danger, and those where the worst consequences can be embarrassment, disappointment and hurt feelings. When I advocate taking risks, I am talking about things like reaching out to people who might reject us and trying new endeavors, such as going back to school, launching a new career, giving a public speech, or trying to write a book or song. Many of us who are hesitant to take risks of this type have an exaggerated notion of the consequences that might come from such endeavors if we fail, and we underestimate the satisfaction that can come if we succeed. For example, many first-time public speakers, who are scared to death that they will fall flat on their face and almost die of embarrassment, discover instead that they have a real talent for public speaking and get so much personal satisfaction from the experience that they continue to give speeches for the rest of their lives.
We take a chance when we allow ourselves to fall in love, because there is always the chance that we might get hurt. But I am a firm believer in the old expression, “It is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.” Every limb we go out on will not be full of fruit, and usually we must go out on many limbs in order to find out where the best fruit of life is.
Think about it.
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Copyright 2025
Allen W. Smith
