born_rich-第21节

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contrast；　the　study　also　found　that；　practically　without　
exception；　not　only　were　the　surviving　aces　individuals　who　
refused　to　〃play　it　safe；〃　but　they　were　the　greatest　risk…takers　
throughout　the　war。　Indeed；　as　one　has　the　opportunity　to　
observe　the　performance　of　individuals　from　all　walks　of　life；　it　
soon　becomes　evident　that　whoever　〃plays　it　safe〃　in　life；　dies；　
and　dies　relatively　young。　For　although　many　of　these　
individuals　remain　〃clinically〃　alive　for　numerous　years；　when　
their　hearts　finally　cease　beating　it　is　a　mere　formality；　
because　the　truth　is；　they　have　never　really　lived！　

By　now　you　have　probably　said　to　yourself；　〃All　of　this　
sounds　eminently　reasonable；　but　why　should　it　be；？〃　or　〃Why　
are　so　many　of　us　destined　to　go　through　our　entire　lives　in　
this　condition　of　self…imposed　misery；　simply　because　we　are　
unable；　or　unwilling；　to　take　meaningful　risks？〃　Well；　it　seems　
to　me　if　we　will　only　cast　our　minds　back　to　the　formative　
years　of　our　own　lives；　we　will　soon　recognize　where　this　
reluctance　to　engage　in　risk…taking　behavior　has　its　source。　
Once　we　have　arrived　at　that　point；　I　believe　we　will　have　come　
a　long　way　in　our　attempt　to　combat；　and　ultimately　
neutralize；　this　insidious　problem。　I　exhort　you　to　pay　very　
strict　attention　to　the　information　which　will　now　be　set…out　
before　you。　

When　you　were　a　young　child…in　fact；　even　as　far　back　as　
the　time　when　you　were　an　infant…your　parents　desperately　
wanted　to　see　you　succeed。　As　a　consequence　of　this　wish；　
they　were　terrified　by　the　prospect　you　might　somehow　fall　
short　of　their　expectations　of　you。　This　was　perfectly　natural；　
in　light　of　the　fact　they　loved　you　very　dearly。　Unfortunately；　
however；　it　motivated　them　to　attempt　to　shelter　you　from　


every　potential　harm　which　might　come　up　in　your　life。　For　
example；　when　you　first　started　to　walk；　they　were　right　by　
your　side　and　as　soon　as　you　even　looked　like　you　were　going　
to　stumble；　they　quickly　grabbed　onto　you；　so　you　would　not　
fall　and　hurt　yourself。　

Similarly；　when　you　engaged　in　your　first　fist　fight　with　
〃the　little　terror　next　door；〃　your　parents　were　there　to　soothe　
the　bruised　feelings。　They　probably　tried　to　console　you　by　
saying　〃You　were　right　dear；　and　the　other　wrong　…　the　other　
child　was　a　bully。〃　Next；　they　probably　said　something　like；　〃In　
the　future；　dear；　be　very　careful　and　try　to　stay　away　from　kids　
like　that。〃　Moreover；　if　your　upbringing　was　typical　of　that　of　
most　of　us；　your　first　bicycle　probably　brought　with　it　repeated　
warnings　such　as：　〃be　careful；〃　〃don't　fall；〃　〃watch　out；〃　and　so　
on。　In　this　manner；　you　were　slowly　but　surely　〃programmed〃　
to　make　every　move　in　your　life　with　a　brilliant　caution　light　
burning　brightly　on　the　screen　of　your　impressionable　young　
mind。　

You　must　gain　the　awareness；　therefore；　that　regardless　
of　what　anyone　may　have　told　you　to　the　contrary；　none　of　us　
was　ever　〃born〃　with　a　fear　of　taking　risks。　As　I　have　clearly　
indicated　above；　the　fear　of　taking　risks　is　something　which　we　
learned；　only　after　we　entered　this　wonderful　world　of　ours。　In　
fact；　contrary　to　what　many　people　have　mistakenly　been　led　
to　believe；　the　human　being…if　left　to　his　or　her　own　devices…is　
a　born　risk…taker　who　is　〃naturally〃　programmed　to　follow　the　
path　which　will　eventually　lead　to　greatness　in　his　or　her　own　
life。　

But；　be　that　as　it　may；　before　you　embark　on　this　exciting　
path　of　risk…taking；　you　should　remember　to　never　lose　sight　of　
the　fact　that　becoming　a　risk…taker　does　not　mean　becoming　
an　irresponsible　individual。　If　you　really　think　it　through；　you　
will　realize　these　two　concepts　are　mutually　exclusive。　For　
becoming　a　risk…taker　means　to　act　courageously；　and　to　act　
courageously　is　considerably　different　from　acting　foolishly　
（which　is　how　a　person　acts　when　he　or　she　behaves　in　an　


irresponsible　manner）。　You　might　encounter　a　few　situations　
where　the　line　separating　these　two　concepts　becomes　
extremely　narrow。　Nevertheless；　it　is　absolutely　essential　you　
never　cross　over　that　line；　inadvertently；　or　otherwise！　Another　
thing　which　you　must　be　aware　of；　is　that　risk…taking　is　always　
a　relative　term。　In　other　words；　behavior　which　represents　a　
risk　to　one　person　may　not　necessarily　represent　a　risk　to　
another　person。　Moreover；　if　the　same　behavior　were　carried　
out　by　a　third　party；　one　might　even　be　tempted　to　deem　it　
irresponsible　conduct。　It　is　clear；　therefore；　that　one　must　be　
able　to　distinguish　among　these　different　concepts　with　a　
significant　degree　of　accuracy。　In　order　to　achieve　this；　it　
becomes　necessary　to　go　back　to　one　of　the　basic　principles　
involved　in　the　process　of　self…development。　

You　must　be　able　to　see　yourself；　with　your　inner　eye；　
already　in　possession　of　the　good　you　desire。　

Risk…Taking　vs。　Irresponsibility　

People　who　are　irresponsible　very　rarely　accomplish　
anything　of　importance　and　quite　often　they　invite　real　harm　
to　themselves。　They　might　occasionally　become　involved　in　
some　activities　which　are　successful；　but　these　results　occur　
so　infrequently；　and　they　are　so　overshadowed　by　negative　
results　that　they　are　hardly　even　worth　mentioning。　

Consider；　for　example；　the　individual　who　dives　off　a　high　
cliff　and　into　a　shallow　body　of　water；　simply　because　he　has　
been　〃dared〃　to　do　so　by　a　group　of　his　peers。　Although　the　
person　in　question　is　afraid　to　dive；　for　some　strange　reason　he　
is　even　more　afraid　of　what　the　others　might　say　to　him；　or　
even　think　about　him；　if　he　chose　not　to　dive。　Clearly；　the　
person's　fear　of　diving　is　perfectly　reasonable；　in　view　of　the　
fact　he　has　had　absolutely　no　training　as　a　diver。　Furthermore；　
as　a　result　of　his　lack　of　training；　when　he　does　contemplate　
what　might　happen　if　he　did　dive；　he　visualizes　himself　being　
very　seriously　injured。　Obviously；　for　an　individual　such　as　
this　to　go　ahead　and　dive；　would　be　extremely　foolish…to　say　


the　least…and　the　person's　actions　would　have　to　be　considered　
irresponsible　by　anyone's　standards。　

On　the　other　hand；　however；　if　this　same　person　trained　
to　become　a　professional　diver　and　if　he　were　skilled　at　taking　
all　of　the　various　factors　into　consideration　（i。e。　if　he　were　able　
to　visualize　himself　successfully　going　through　all　of　the　
necessary　motions　such　as　swimming　to　shore；　stepping　back　
on　land　unharmed；　etc。）；　then　it　would　be　a　totally　different　
situation。　For　although　the　person　would　still　be　taking　a　
definite　risk；　no　one　could　accuse　him　of　acting　in　an　
irresponsible　manner。　

Consider　for　a　moment；　the　〃stunt　people〃　who　work　in　
the　movie　industry。　These　individuals　are　constantly　
performing　dangerous　acts。　In　fact；　that　is　precisely　what　they　
get　paid　for。　But　do　not　be　deceived！　For　the　men　and　women　
who　perform　these　stunts　are　not　amateurs　by　any　means。　
They　are　all　competent　professionals；　highly　skilled　in　the　
performance　of　their　dangerous　trade。　They　always　check　and　
then　double　check　every　calculation；　before　they　make　even　
the　simplest　move。　As　a　result　of　these　precautions；　they　are　
very　rarely　ever　injured。　No；　there　cannot　be　any　question　
about　it…stunt　people　are　〃Risk…Takers〃　to　be　sure；　but　they　
are　very　rarely　irresponsible　individuals！　

Investments　

Now；　turn　your　attention　to　the　person　who　invests　his　or　
her　hard…earned　savings　in　a　venture　about　which　he　or　she　
knows　practically　nothing。　Perhaps　someone；　possibly　a　
relative　whom　the　person　may　have　held　in　high　esteem；　
suggested　this　investment　was　a　great　idea　and　the　investors　
stood　to　earn　an　extraordinarily　high　rate　of　return　on　it。　
Assume；　moreover；　that　despite　the　person's　very　grave　
misgivings　about　going　into　the　venture　at　all；　he　is　also　being　
strongly　motivated　by　greed；　to　seek　the　highest　possible　rate　
of　return　which　can　be　earned　on　the　money　invested。　Finally；　
suppose　that　the　tremendous　fear　of　loss　notwithstanding；　the　


person　decides　to　go　ahead　and　makes　the　investment　anyway。　
What　happens　next？　

After　the　investment　has　been　made；　most　of　the　person's　
waking　hours　will　probably　be　spent：　

1。　worrying　about　the　investment；　and　
2。　visualizing　himself　reduced　to　a　
state　of　abject　poverty。　


It　is　abundantly　clear；　therefore；　that　this　sort　of　behavior　
must　be　deemed　the　polar　opposite　of　financial　responsibility　
and　the　person　involved　must　be　considered　imprudent　and　
irresponsible；　rather　than　a　〃bona　fide〃　risk…taker。　The　usual　
outcome　in　a　situation　such　as　this　is　predictable；　if　not　
pleasing。　The　individual　in　question　loses　the　money；　not　to　
mention　the　former　friendship　of　the　individual　who　originally　
suggested　the　investment。　（The　reason　is　that　foolish；　
irresponsible　people　seldom　blame　themselves　for　making　
such　errors。）　

On　the　other　hand　however；　if　that　person　listened　
carefully　to　the　suggestion　of　his　friend　or　relative　and　then　
studied　the　situation　for　himself；　he　could　have　formed　an　
opinion　which　was　based　on　sound　knowledge　rather　than　
hearsay；　and　which　was　motivated　by　genuine　interest　rather