I have heard our Risk a Day leader, Laura, say many times that it’s the small, seemingly insignificant, risks we take intentionally that build our courage muscles. Just like going to the gym and starting with a 2-pound weight… we can eventually build up to the heavy lifting.

I took a tiny risk a few days ago. And the effect has been bigger than I thought. 

The Back Story

There is a syndrome I call “Comment Rage” that exists in the blogosphere. People who — hiding behind annonymous userID shields — riddle their comments with harsh, crude and downright contemptuous jabs toward other commentors (never here on Risk a Day, thank goodness!). I would bet my shrunken 401(k) that these venemous posters would never be so rude in person.

A few days ago, I read an NPR article about the Metropolitan Opera posted on Facebook. And (predictably) the commentors engaged in a heated battle between opera lovers vs. those opining with terms like “caterwauling,” ”irrelevant art form,” ”opera sucks” and the like. And, with equal ire, the opera lovers fighting back by attacking their opponents’ atrocious use of punctuation.

Sigh.

While this was really a very mild case of Comment Rage, some of the more politically inclined threads can leave one wondering whether this new era of social media communication is an improvement to societal discourse… or will it ultimately devolve into a trigger for (un)civil war?

So, my risk: I had sworn off reading any more of those comment threads because the degree incivility left sensitive me feeling personally battered, even though I was only on the sidelines. But with the opera thread, I JUMPED IN!!  I dove right in with my very own comment. I thought long and hard ahead of time… am I just adding to the fight? Do I just want to vent? Or can I contribute in some meaningful way? What impact do I want to have here?

The comment I wrote highlighted my newly found appreciation for opera (thanks to Laura). I also pointed out that there are forms of music I do not enjoy, but I am grateful they exist — a variety of art forms bring a lush and spirit-evoking richness to our multi-cultural world.  I re-read my comment. I checked punctuation. I hit “send” and waited, nervously, for the inevitable smack down.

But in a refreshing turn of events, a few like-minded commenters appeared to concurr with me. And one disagreed, but was quite civil about it.  Others continued with their battering of each other, but no one barbed me. I know it’s because I took a diplomatic tack to expressing my opinion, rather than the “I’m right, you’re wrong” approach that is eating away at our public conversations.

Now, really this was a tiny little risk. Practically no risk at all, really. And yet, what qualifies it as a “risk,” to me, is the quiver of fear that crept up before I sent my comment. The nano-second of “someone might not like me” that flashed through my being. And I proceeded anyway, because I yearned to share my voice. And, by golly, the act took me up a few notches! The rest of that afternoon my spirit felt honored, my soul felt acknowledged. I had spoken my truth in the face of ricocheting word-bullets.

Yah, I do like this notion… that tiny risks lead to small risks, which lead to medium risks which lead to… well, you can see where this is all headed, can’t you?

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Martha Carnahan coaches entrepreneurs, leaders and marketers in the professional services world. She has noticed that taking risks, whether bold and scary or seemingly small (and easy to avoid) creates a fresh awareness of the joy, audacity and quiet reverence of a full-spectrum life. Its not just about doing more stuff its about hanging out more in the sweet spot of life. Visit Martha's website.
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