Wahoo, we talked
about fun, now we’re going to gamble. Where
I live we have two casinos within 10 minutes…
No, no, no…not
gambling money. Taking a chance. In
a way, though, it is gambling money—if it works, profits go up. If it doesn’t you’ve lost time and productivity,
which is translates to money. This in
addition to whatever monetary investment was made.
Wow,
sounds scary! Why should I gamble at
work?
Think
about chicken nuggets. I’ve said before
that I wish I’d invented chicken nuggets.
Someone took a chance on mashing parts of a bird (sometimes what bird is
up for question) together and called them edible. Look where it got him.
In writing we take chances. Just doing this AtoZ challenge is a risk. What if nobody reads your posts? What if they're no good? If we listen to all the what ifs we won't finish...or even start to begin with. But, think of everything we gain when we take the chance on putting our writing out there. Even rejections are a good experience.
In health care
chances are taken all the time. It’s how
new discoveries are made. But it isn’t
like a crap shoot in Vegas. It’s
calculated, based on ideas, research, and planning. It starts with knowledge and then thinks how can this
be improved? Without taking chances in medicine penicillin would still be
mold on bread. Dr. Michael DeBakey pioneered heart surgeries we take for granted now, one of which saved his own life. Taking chances are risky, but in health care they not only improve quality, but also save lives.Creativity says “what if we did it this way?” Taking a gamble says “let’s try it.” What's the worst that can happen? You fail? In those cases you go back and try again.
Success is not final. Failure is not fatal. It is the courage to continue that counts.
Winston Churchill
For more on Chicken Nuggets check here: http://cornellsun.com/node/44152
For more on Penicillin check here: http://www.history.com/topics/penicillin
For more on Michael DeBakey check here: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,381245,00.html
I am saving that Churchill quote. My ex-husband is a gambling addict. He liked to point out that my writing life was like his gambling life. And, it is, but it isn't. They both have risks and investments, require skill and dedication. One causes extreme separation, while the other makes great connections.
ReplyDeletePlay off the Page
Anything we do--including writing--can be a problem if we do it to extreme. Religion, careers, eating, etc. But how much does it control you and what are the consequences of your actions? Addiction to gambling has far greater negative consequences than addiction to writing. Otherwise we'd see billboards that say "problems with writing? call 1-800..."
DeleteFunny. And, the counselors would be former English teachers.
DeleteOH, YES YES YES!!! I love taking Risks! I'm in the theatre, a professional performer & a published playwright, and a sometimes director. We talk about taking Risks in the theatre all the time and it's one of my favorite Noun/Verb/Adj's!
ReplyDeleteHere's my performance site & an example of how I take risks almost every day performing: Houston Storyteller
I'll follow you - great post! Thank you!
Texas Playwright Chick
the Houston Storyteller is a good example of taking risks in a positive way. Any time we want to try something new or different it's a gamble. But where would our world be if we didn't. Thomas Edison said
DeleteI haven't failed. I just found 10,000 ways it didn't work. So I guess 10,001 was the light bulb?
Mmm chicken nuggets. I totally agree with you, in fact I think that everything is a gamble. We cannot know how our lives will turn out and we have to take certain chances and gambles every now and again to get us to the places we're going. This was a great post!
ReplyDeleteNikki – inspire nordic
The moment we get up and step outside we're taking a chance that life will go as we planned. But the good thing is, we know how to adapt and adjust. One of the greatest qualities God has given us is flexiblity.
DeleteGood to gamble :)
ReplyDeleteWagging Tales
What a bodacious Churchill quote. And what a super post. EVERYTHING in life is a gamble. I gamble that my hubby loves me. I gamble that my kids will grow up remembering the values I have taught them. I love the 1-800-writing number. I sometimes think the family wants to call that number for me. Ha!
ReplyDeleteWonderful thoughts here. I'm following you back. *waving*
What an interesting perspective on gambles. It's so true - nothing ventured, nothing gained:-)
ReplyDeletewriting is definitely worth the gamble! it also inspires others to take chances too =)
ReplyDelete