Risk Taking means mistakes are part of life

John W. Holt would add that “If you're not making mistakes, you're not taking risks, and that means you're not going anywhere.” Making mistakes is part of taking risks and it is part of growing. The key is to learn from your mistakes and keep moving ahead. However, the question that still remains is how can you take intelligent or calculated risks?  According to Dr. Moses that calculated or intelligent risks are those where the potential downside is limited, but the potential upside is virtually unlimited. The potential benefits of the risk should outweigh the potential losses if you are to take it. Otherwise it is not a good risk. Before you jump into anything always understand what you stand to lose and ensure that it is outweighed by what you stand to gain. A second aspect of intelligent risk-taking is to imagine all the things that could possibly go wrong when making a decision on whether or not to take a risk. The trick is then to put all the measures in place that you can to prevent those things from happening. But be careful not to want to be perfectionist in this area. You cannot possibly prepare for every outcome. You need to have some faith in yourself and the fact that you will be able to handle whatever comes your way. Lastly, learn to take action. The longer you procrastinate, the higher the likelihood that you won't do something.