I know a young man for whom all learning and most other achievements came easily; he took it as a matter of course that life was just that way. In fourth grade, suddenly he was struggling with math. Not knowing how to deal with something that did not come easily to him, he hid his papers and the notes from his teachers, thinking that if he just ignored the problem it would go away. Eventually of course, the papers and notes were found, the problem brought to light, and the piper had to be paid. We tutored, we encouraged, we did all we could to make math understandable, but his resistance, the fear of failure that had developed over the weeks and months of struggle just weren't easily put to rest. Demon math and a newfound recognition that all life is not easy, made for a rough year. The following summer we took a much-anticipated canoe-camping vacation in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness BWCAW in northern Minnesota. The BWCAW is a remote wilderness area consisting of thousands of interconnected lakes and rivers, with few if any roads, most of which prohibits travel by motorized boats; when you set out to camp, you are miles from others, miles from help, and have to be prepared to be self-reliant even in emergency situations.
The week passed well, good fishing and lovely vistas,water smooth as glass, campfires every day, hammocks hung in trees - life was good!
The day we were scheduled to paddle out the weather turned miserable: cold, windy, rainy, and the waves kicked up in exactly the wrong direction. My husband and I, along with our youngest son were in one canoe; the older boy and his godfather were in the other canoe, boy in the front, having to carry his weight with the paddling, no way out of it. We hugged the shore as much as possible, but it was a miserable, frightening day.
Boy started to whine that he was cold and wet and tired and wanted to stop, but there was no place to stop, and if he stopped paddling, his godfather could not paddle effectively against the waves alone. We coaxed - he complained; we encouraged - he pouted. Godfather - in fear of his very life - said to the boy: "Just shut up and paddle" - boy did exactly that. When we reached the outfitter, once again warm and safe, reveling in our adventure, boy said: "If I could do that, I can do math!" And he did.When the large pharmaceutical company in our town shut down the research operations in our town and moved them across the country, an unprecedented number of their top employees elected to remain in the area and risk starting their own businesses. It's been nothing short of inspiring to see those with 30 years of experience as bench-scientists set out to learn about business, learn to partner with those who can provide their business the expertise it lacks, learn to pitch to investors, learn to deal with clients, and learn from their own mistakes and those of others. Some businesses started at that time failed, but many more - a much higher percentage than is normally expected from start-ups - have not only survived but thrived, for nearly 10 years now. Many have built a name for themselves nationwide, and are even finding world-wide recognition. The people who remained here and risked their financial futures, their life-savings, and even their professional reputations did so for a variety of personal and professional reasons. One common thread was their determination to take charge of their lives and their careers, rather than letting the winds of change carry them hither and yon. They too said: "We can!" and they did.
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Hard as it may be to take the risk, or to let our children take the risks and fail or get hurt, risk-taking is imperative to our growth, our sense of self-worth, and our future successes.
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