Insert Cheesy Quote About Leaving Your Comfort Zone Here

The end of a year is usually filled with recaps of the previous 12 months, especially on social media. Between the Top Nine on Instagram, Facebook’s Year in Review and numerous “best of” list stories from around the web, people love summarizing what made their year great and what they’re happy to leave behind.

Last month, the moderator of a Facebook group I’m a part of asked members to share their biggest failure of 2019 as part of a daily reflections exercise she ran throughout December. I thought about it, and couldn’t come up with an example of a time I’d truly failed at something during the year, and quickly realized why – I didn’t take any risks.

Sure, I had done a ton of traveling, which always carries some level of risk, but I hadn’t gone out for something that could have led to a big letdown or loss when it didn’t work out, like launch a business, apply to a competitive program or audition for a play. Instead, I focused on maintaining and building upon everything I had going on (and felt content with) in my personal and professional life.

While I wouldn’t change anything I did in 2019, the question did make me reflect on how I’ve tended to avoid certain things in life out of fear that my traumatizing defeats of the past would repeat themselves. For example, after a string of full-time, onsite marketing/communications-related jobs in my 20s that lasted no more than a year each and sometimes ended poorly, I stayed away from office environments and freelanced remotely for three years. When I did finally return to a 9-to-5 environment, it took me a long time to believe the job wasn’t like the others and that it could in fact be a successful experience (and it was!).

But my mindset during that three-year stretch wasn’t uncommon – as Margie Warrell wrote in Forbes last November, “When given the choice of sticking on the current path that feels familiar or diverting onto a less familiar ground, the former has the stronger psychological pull.” However, as I’m sure you’ve been told, the greater the risk, the greater the reward. Warrell continued, “Only when we are willing to take a risk, and forego the security of the known, can we create new opportunities, innovate new ideas, broaden capability, grow greater influence and forge new ground.”

Risk takes on so many meanings at work and in life. There are the dangerous types of risks that no one should take, like walking alone in the dark in a poor neighborhood or cliff-diving into rocky waters. Then there are the good risks that feel scary at first but can lead to long-term gain, like moving to a new city, pursuing a new hobby or leaving a toxic relationship. Risk is also a good thing when it comes to making investments for your financial future.

In the business world, risk is unavoidable for leaders who want to succeed. Bob Fisch, former CEO of fashion retailer rue21, advised other business professionals (also in Forbes in November) to “take a stand to do what they believe, and then stick to the game plan!” He explained that during the Cotton Crisis of 2011, which drove up the price of goods, rue21 maintained its prices and focused on increasing transactions when many of its competitors were focused on raising prices. The decision meant the public company would risk seeing its stock price tank, but it in fact met its numbers and watched its stock price jump 25%, Fisch wrote. Making bold moves that differ from the norm is important not only for high-level business decision makers, but for marketers. As Forbes contributor Marian Salzman wrote, also in November, “Rehashing old campaigns, sticking to ‘safe,’ well-trodden territory and steering clear of the unknown may make life easier in the short run, but it’s a recipe for getting ignored in the marketplace.”

And for all working professionals, taking risks is often necessary to obtaining the roles, responsibilities and compensation they want in their careers. These risks might include voicing your opinion more in meetings, taking on a new challenge like public speaking, asking for a higher salary or starting a side business.

For credit unions, risky moves can include lending to subprime consumers, taking on an uncertain member account like a cannabis business, and investing in a new service or product that has not yet proven to be profitable. But in order to live up to their missions of serving the underserved, credit unions must take these types of risks. As the National Credit Union Foundation’s Gigi Hyland said to attendees at a business lending conference in 2018, “You shouldn’t have a CAMEL 1 rating. That means you’re not taking enough risk to serve your members.”

Of course, there are certain risks that credit unions can’t afford to take, like failing to prepare for a natural disaster or take steps to protect itself from a data breach. But when it comes to serving members, taking a chance on those who may not be the best thing for the bottom line in the short term can lead to long-term gains like a glowing reputation and financially healthier communities.

Here’s to taking the good kinds of risks in your credit union, professional career and life in 2020 – and doing what it takes to overcome the fears that may crop up along the way, even if that means reading, posting or hanging up one of those overshared quotes like, “Happiness begins outside your comfort zone” or “You must make a choice to take a chance or your life will never change.” We won’t tell.

Natasha Chilingerian is executive editor for CU Times. She can be reached at nchilingerian@cutimes.com.