Last week, we talked about how to move forward When Fear Stops You. In that post, we reviewed some suggestions to support you in navigating forward despite your fear.

Since then, some of you have written to us asking about the difference between being fearless and being reckless, asking questions like, “When am I being fearless, in moving forward through my fear, and when am I being reckless?”

Thanks so much for asking! To support you today, we’re sharing some differences between the two, as well as a simple assessment framework.

FEARLESS

When you’re being fearless, you lean into possibilities and stretch yourself to think in new ways, explore new options, and take action even though you may be uncomfortable or feel afraid.

You take calculated risks.

If the opportunity requires things like courage, focus, and determination, that’s a time to be fearless.

RECKLESS

When you’re being reckless, you’re not evaluating the risks that are in front of you but instead you’re catapulting yourself headfirst into an oncoming disaster.

You act impulsively without regard for consequences.

If the opportunity requires an extreme overreach of either power or skill and has the potential for significantly negative consequences, it may be reckless.

Taking time to get curious and assess the risk levels of your opportunities is essential.

Curiosity allows you
to distinguish between
being fearless and being reckless,
by gaining a deeper understanding
of the opportunities and risks
of moving forward.

With this clarity, you’re more likely to take the kinds of risks that will move you forward vs hold you back or potentially cause you (or others) harm.

To support our clients in being curious, we often use our Benefits, Concerns, and Suggestions framework as a way for them to easily assess opportunities and look for the risks that they can take.

We suggest questions like:

  • What do I see as the Benefits of this opportunity?
  • What Concerns do I have for myself and others, with this opportunity?
  • What Suggestions do I have to move forward in a way that’s fearless vs reckless? How can I mitigate some of the risk?

Consider using our Benefits, Concerns, and Suggestions framework, in any area of your life, to help you assess whether going after an opportunity is fearless or reckless.

Let us know how it goes!

If you’d like support
navigating your fear,
contact us today.