Entrepreneur

Entrepreneur. 

Entrepreneur is a term created by economist, Richard Cantillion, with a literal meaning of "bearer of risk." Now when we normally think about being an aspiring entrepreneur we use the term in the context of business. However, after reading the characteristics of "risk bearers" in Adam Grant's new book Originals, I began to think about it as it applied to my life. 

One misconception about entrepreneurs is the idea that these people are a special breed that feel quite at home with risk. Quite the contrary was found to be true. Grant writes, "We find that entrepreneurs are significantly more risk-averse than the general population." This leads to the question as to how it is possible for them to take the risks involved in their successes? 

According to Grant they hedge their bets. In other words, while they take the risk in one area of their lives, they balance it with caution in another. This is why so many of them continue to work their day job while launching their dream. Now not all of us have the desire to run our own business, yet we do have the opportunity to be in charge of our own life. 

If there is something that has been calling your name, whispering to you at every turn, you might consider sticking your toe into the water. You don't have to completely upend your entire life; no tiny house, no moving a thousand miles away, or giving up sugar for a year. Rather, taking a small risk in one area of your life might be completely feasible. 

Like Grant says, " Having a sense of security in one realm gives us the freedom to be original in another."