allison fallon the power of writing it down

Not because I’m scared or I lack the bravery to do it but because I trust myself way too much.Ĭan you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work. And if what I’m putting on the line isn’t something I’m willing to lose, then I don’t risk it. It sometimes means I lose what I’ve put on the line. I try to remind myself that taking a risk doesn’t automatically mean I’ll be rewarded. The question, more than how much of a risk you should take, is: how much do you trust yourself? Do you talk yourself out of what you KNOW to be true – or do you lean into it and make decisions accordingly? For me, I take risks when I know I need to take them. But just because bungee jumping is risky doesn’t mean that bungee jumping is good for everyone. To me, the conversation about risk needs to include a conversation about trust: how much do you trust yourself? When you have a gut feeling about something, do you trust it? If your life is feeling lackluster – and you’d like a little more adventure in your day to day – well then taking a risk for the sake of some adventure might be good for you.

In fact, the anxiety I felt about this choice was a warning signal – telling me that, in this case, the risk wasn’t at all worth the reward. So I jumped in with both feet only to find that the risk didn’t improve my quality of life at all. I told myself that without risk there was no reward, and that I would grow as a person if I could dig deep and find the courage to take this risk. But I coached myself with the conventional wisdom about risk. And yet when I was in the middle of making a huge decision several years ago, I found myself feeling a good bit of anxiety about the choice. I’ve jumped off of waterfalls in Costa Rica, quit my job to go on a road trip to all 50 states, and written down my most vulnerable stories to publish on the internet. I would consider myself a natural risk-taker. And arbitrarily taking risks in your life might not improve your quality of living at all. The problem is that what feels like a “risk” for one person might not be a risk for another. When we talk about risk, we tend to start with the principal that, “without risk, there is no reward.” Therefore the interpretation is that the more risks you take in your life, the more rewarded you’ll be.

Most of what is said about “risk” in popular culture I find to be unhelpful. Hi Allison, what role has risk played in your life or career? We had the good fortune of connecting with Allison Fallon and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Allison fallon the power of writing it down