Being Careful to a Fault

There is a very common saying – “you can never be too careful” – which indicates that being cautious and careful in our actions is a good way to avoid all kinds of negative outcomes or disruptions in our lives. But there is such a thing as being too careful.

By cyclonebill (Iskaffe) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia CommonsI’m reminded of when trying to pour something how you typically line it up and pour carefully so as not to spill any liquid. Sometimes the angles or shapes of the object you are pouring will not match up in the right way, and if you pour too slowly some liquid can spill out the side. Alternately, if you are pouring slowly and carefully but the cup is heavy, your hand might begin to tremble or shake, causing you to spill. Sometimes you’ve just got to go for it, and take the risk of making a huge mess with the fast pour.

The same things happen in life; sometimes you decide you just need to make a change and go after it. It may not always work out, but life has its own ups and downs, and carefully laid plans don’t always work out either. If there is something you have been wanting or waiting to do but are too risk adverse, remember that there are times to try and line things up carefully and go through all the actions to obtain an outcome in a planned out way, and sometimes you just have to take charge and make it happen whenever that opportunity arises.

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