no risk. no story.

I'm thinking about getting another tattoo. 'Why do I care?' I hear you think. Firstly, yes I'm telepathic. Secondly, it's the tattoo I'm thinking about getting which I think you might like.

It's a phrase I've repeated in my head a lot over the last few months.

No risk. No story.

Every story you read, watch, tell or listen to has something in common. A risk factor.

Middle Earth is at risk of being taken over by Sauron and an army of orcs.

James Bond risks his life saving the world from endless threats.

Odysseus is at risk of never making it home and seeing his family again.

Whether the risk is personal, or world defining, it always motivates the protagonist to act in one way or another.

You and I live in a world and an industry that repeatedly tells us it's 'risk-averse'. Our business orientated world loves things that are guaranteed. This can put food in people's mouths. Roofs over people's heads. An NHS which sees us through a pandemic. But it can also mean not changing the tune when you've become a broken record, continuing patterns that may not have such desirable consequences..

Playing it safe ensures our day to day lives have perks. Our coffee is just how we like it, and there's a great place for cookies around the corner. But sometimes in all that regularity, creative people, like me, and I think like you, get frustrated between the everyday mundane decisions of breakfast choice, and what to watch on the TV that night? There's something in you that reaches for risk… some adventure in amongst all the business suits and commuting. As much as there is a place for playing it safe in society, creativity, breaking the mould and stepping out of our comfort zones have made excellent contributions to society too.

When we focus too much on one way of thinking. life seems rigid and fixed. It seems predictable and difficult to break the pattern. But life is a fluid thing. Remind yourself of that when you need to. You are in control.

Step outside of the everyday choices for a moment, and look at your story. Is your story going in the direction you want it to? No? Then decide how to change it. You can do that. You're the one creating your life. Moment by moment. Decision by decision.

Where guarantee offers regularity, creativity offers the opportunity to reshape your story. Take a risk. You might get the story you want.