Understanding Risk
“We have real confidence in the mission, and there are some risks, but we have every intention of coming back.”
- Neil Armstrong
Admit it. You might be scared.
You might phrase it differently to hide the fear in front of your friends, partner or co-workers. But there is fear…somewhere. You might say “worried”, “uncertain”, “hesitant”, “nervous”, “concerned” or “stressed”. We are often more scared of being scared than the thing we were originally afraid of.
Perhaps if you are in high-school you might be scared of making a bad grade and feeling like a failure, fitting in with the right crowd and feeling uncool, not making the team and feeling unworthy, underperforming in band or theater and feeling like you could have done better or not making it to college and feeling intimidated by questions of “what next?”.
Similarly, if you are in university, you might be scared of missing out on an internship, being lonely after a recent break-up or finding a job after you graduate.
As a maturing adult, being scared takes on a whole new level of complexity with layers upon layers of both practical and theoretical “if / then” scenarios. These ghosts often hold hostage our quiet in-between moments. Getting or keeping a job, paying bills, raising and supporting a family, advancing in a career, taking care of aging parents, relationships or managing health are, though legitimate, common hostage takers.
It is also common to be scared about issues in society, challenges in one’s community and perceived existential threats to ways of life, culture or comfort. Though we squirm in allowing ourselves to admit it, these fears are relative to our context, subjective based on our own experiences and ambiguous in terms of how those fears are articulated. We are afraid of feeling overwhelmed and overrun…however we might define it.
Courtney Searcy, Program Director at Our Jackson Home, opens the October meeting of the Jackson Grown Leader Fellowship on October 14, 2022 (Photo credit Hannah Gore)
A brave group of high school juniors and seniors with the Jackson Grown Leader Fellowship met on Friday October 14 to tackle these ideas. They looked at the concept of what it meant to be scared and the impact that has on our willingness to take risks, big or small.
Heather Larsen, a 2004 North Side high school graduate and world renowned professional slackliner, discussed what fears she faced in high school, what risks she was forced to take after graduating from Union University and stepping off into the unknown going West across Interstate-40 towards the Grand Canyon.
As a “master risk taker”, Heather has walked above the rubble of recent war-zones in Bosnia, balanced 1,000 feet above the sea in Tasmania and crossed ancient buildings in Israel. She has done all of this on a one inch wide slackline.
Importantly, Heather has learned to manage her fear by becoming an expert in what she can control. By meticulously preparing, checking and re-checking her slackline anchors she has reduced both the real and perceived risks of taking extremely intimidating and physically dangerous steps.
Above all, she made sure she “knew the ropes”. That helped her understand the limits of a person’s real control over a situation. This knowledge and understanding allowed her to know when to let go.
Professional slackiner and 2004 North Side High School graduate Heather Larsen, speaks to students about “knowing the ropes” and understanding the nature of a risk. (Photo credit Hannah Gore)
Being scared is a natural (and sometimes quite useful) reaction when we face a risk. Driving fast along curvy roads at night with no headlights and a cliff next to us is scary for a reason. We might die and others might too. Perhaps, we could call that a “Level 10 Risk”. Anything that could cause significant harm to yourself or others should, no doubt, be avoided at all costs.
We also face less risky risks. Not wearing the right clothes, knowing the right thing to say or saying something slightly embarrassing could perhaps be termed Level 1 Risks”. These are cases where there is no threat of physical harm to you or anyone else. They are just passing annoyances and, at most, a slight knock on your pride.
North Side Junior Fellow Madelyn Tyler listens intently to North Side alumni Heather Larsen as she explains how “knowing the ropes” allowed her to minimize real and perceived risk when she began learning the sport of slacklining.
With distance and a little time, I’d argue that a large bulk of our day-to-day fears are connected to risks that might fall between Level 1 and Level 3. These could include
Not singing karaoke with friends because you are afraid of how you think you’ll sound;
Not starting an associate’s degree twenty years after high school because you are afraid you couldn’t pass the courses;
Not speaking up in a group when you disagree because you feel like you might get called out;
Not switching jobs to do something you are really passionate about but that might have a bit less prestige.
These relatively minor fears often become inflated and can have a much larger impact on our willingness to try new things, test ideas or change our habits. As Heather Larsen mentioned during her presentation, she was able to take a very large risk, walking for the first time on a one inch line 400 feet above a canyon, because she was an experienced rock climber. She personally checked her harness as well as the knots and anchors that would catch her if she fell.
Heather knew enough about one sport that was related to the new sport she was trying. It was enough to reduce what almost anyone would consider a Level 10 Risk to a manageable Level 2 or 3 Risk. At most she would have slipped a few feet until the safety harness caught her. Maybe a little embarrassment would have been the most she would have had to deal with. Mostly the risk was personal. It might affect how she saw herself.
It is important to note that this is, for the sake of conversation, an oversimplification. Fear is complex, interconnected and cannot be easily categorized at any stage of life. It also shouldn’t be trivialized as many people - whether in high school or retirement - face genuine threats that impact many aspects of one’s life in the short, medium and long terms. We should not forget this.
Mentors Summer Nichols and Olivia Abernathy discuss risk with Liberty Junior Fellow Sydnee Cole, Madison Junior Fellow Andrew Ellis, South Side Junior Fellow Kalin Earnest. (Photo credit Hannah Gore)
After learning about The nature of Heather’s fears, the risks she experienced and the ways she managed the risks, the Jackson Grown Leader Fellows spoke with Carita Cole.
As the host for the day’s event, Carita, a 2003 graduate of Jackson Central Merry High School, talked about the connection between risk and hustle.
Serving as a Crew Member and mentor for Jackson Grown, Carita also discussed her career working with West Tennessee Legal Services and what the journey has been like to start and thrive in a parallel career as a hip hop artist and performer.
“In addition to serving the community through my day job, I have a passion for music and performance. To be honest though, I can sometimes be a bit shy so the idea of getting up on stage singing to a large crowd really scared me,” Carita said.
“In order for Carita to take a risk, she had to commit to a life of hustle. ”
“Absolutely I was afraid. Absolutely it was and has been a massive risk for me to pursue a parallel career in hip hop. In my case, I was able to eventually get over the fear I had to get on stage. But then taking the risks involved in doing something that costs time and money has required a lot of hustle.”
In Carita’s case, her risk was a lifestyle risk. It demanded that she be more efficient with her time, work an extra job on the weekends and learn how to be her own music manager. “My work didn’t start at 9:00 am and end at 5:00 pm from Monday to Friday. That was just the beginning.”
In order for Carita to take a risk, she had to commit to a life of hustle. It required finding ways to earn extra money to support a passion project while still excelling at her day job at West Tennessee Legal Services.
Carita overcame her lifestyle risk - sustaining herself while also funding a budding music career - by sacrificing something we all treasure: comfort and rest. Her passion for music and performance drove her to a level of hustle most of us might not be willing to commit to. Especially if it meant giving up our Saturday football or keeping up with the latest Netflix series.
Jakcson Grown Mentor Carita Cole speaks with Fellows about the risks she faced stepping into a dual carreer with West Tennessee Legal Services and as a Hip hop singer and perfomer. She explained the importance of “hustle” and its role in managing some fears and risks she encountered. (Photo credit Hannah Gore)
After hearing from Heather and Carita, the Fellows then turned to those around them at the table to discuss the relationship between fear and risk as well as what is required to manage what we perceive as risky. Guided by mentors called “Crew Members” the Fellows talked about ways to manage risks and take intimidating steps.
Heather’s management of physical risk by knowing the ropes in a similar sport and Carita’s management of lifestyle risk by having a strong willingness to hustle, gave them the confidence to try new, exciting and big things.
For Carita and Heather, these combinations of knowledge and hustle have taken them deep into exciting adventures.
Considering this, being scared might not be as scary as you think.
Madison Senior Fellow Gavin Slaughter and Jackson Grown Mentor Anthony Kirk listen while South Side Senior Fellow Jacob Porch offers his thoughts on risk. (Photo credit Hannah Gore)
The Jackson Grown Leader Fellowship seeks to make tailored investments for long-term impact on individuals’ lives. It recognizes that there are many kinds of “smart” and many kinds of “success”. Its objective is to look for the incredible, unique talents in individuals that might be overlooked by traditional measures or tests. We look for high-potential, well-rounded future leaders with a broad range of skills, interests and aspirations. We recognize that the best among us are often hidden.
It relies on the generous commitment of time, energy and support from Local Crew Members including Courtney Searcy, Greg Perry Jr., Aricia Staples, Carita Cole, Anthony Kirk, Summer Nichols, Olivia Abernathy, as well as Global Crew Members including Wakeema Hollis, Josh Miller, Heather Larsen, Drew Sutton, Lauren Pritchard. Hannnah Gore’s photography helps make the meetings come alive for those not in the room.
Jackson Grown Leader Fellowship is grateful for the ongoing support of the counselors and principals at each of the high schools in the Jackson Madison County School System. They play an essential role championing students.
Jackson Grown remains appreciative of the support and encouragement from the City of Jackson, the Jackson Old Hickory Rotary Club, theCo and Our Jackson Home.
Crew Member and Mentor Aricia Staples (JCM 2003) listens together with Madison Senior Fellow Gavin Slaughter as Carita Cole discusses the connections between fear, risk and hustle