The conflict of risk versus reward

Is risk taking inevitable in life or play safe is the safe path? What is the exact definition or meaning of risk taking? Is success the mere counter product of the amount of risk taken or the smart effort and smart strategy?  If smart effort were the cause for success, then why taking risk should be so important?  Do we have any example for risk takers in nature?

Nature itself is a story of great risk taking experience only.  Every bird, mammals and other animals leave their precarious young ones in the nest or den or burrow or in the pasture land for foraging.  They have to go for foraging otherwise they may not support the family.  Young one needs food and milk as they can hardly move as they are young and impecunious.  All animals know that they are living in jungle where predators and danger are many.  Even by being always with their young ones also there is not protection from danger, besides the danger due to starvation. 

Courage can be brought in not by helping or giving courage but by leaving them helplessly to fight and find the way out.  Such an approach is also some time essential.  That is what most animals do.  By leaving alone the young ones by the parents while going for foraging, not only they are making their young ones brave and bold but also inheriting them a great lesson of what they have to do in future with their young ones if the clan have to survive and the dynasty has to continue. 

Taking a firm decision firmly without any fear or suspicion is therefore very essential.  In decision making process, fear of risk should only exert wisdom, knowledge and caution and not indecision and helplessness.  This is the essential law, animals follow in their life.  This is what nature has taught to them.  The risk taking attitude never a momentary even in animal life but they also get transferred to the next generation. 

Humans always relate bravery or valiancy to the state of fearlessness or risk taking character.  Risk taking must have a justifiable existential need.  The need must be encompassed with the knowledge.  All animals know how and where to forage. They have to forage to save the family.  They know the risk of leaving the young ones alone. The decision of taking a risk in animal life is knowledge rich. 

If some one jumps into business by investing huge resource in the name of risk taking is an act nothing other than stupidity.   One need to know the knowledge about such business, must know the investment of such proportion is necessary, should know whether the pay vs. payoff has any smart logic and merit etc.  Risk taking also needs some spontaneous & emergency wisdom and energy. 

Entrepreneurs must know that risk taking should not be purely gut guided act and it must have some prior art and meaningful forecasting.  The consequence of such risk taking can fall on either side of the tennis court.  What ever be the consequence, the action need some validation only then the action can be called risk taking act.   

Employees may say, why were not included in the discussion?  Is an employee leaving one organization and joining another also called risk taking?  When they are at the risk of loosing the job in the existing company, how joining in another company can be called risk taking.  It is only escaping from a risk.  Fine, when an employee does not have any risk to his/her job in the existing company and still joining another company, can it be called risk.  Even such decisions also cannot be called risk as every one has to look for newer opportunity.  How some one taking up a new opportunity to experiment can be called risk?  In such decision process, where is risk?  When the knowledge and capability are the key aspects and if self belief and self confidence are born legitimately, where is the question of risk? The definition of risk needs to be learned properly than defining some act as risk or not.   Open the eyes & look at the nature, so much of knowledge and wisdom one can gather to life.