Ignoring or avoiding risk doesn’t make it go away. Instead, learning to assess it properly puts us in control. One of the biggest barriers to taking risks is fear. But fear, like any emotion, is just a signal — it tells us that something matters. The question is: Is this fear protecting me, or is it holding me back?

Two months ago, to the day, I stood facing a fork in the metaphorical road. One path was familiar: I’d walked versions of it for over 20 years, achieving reasonable success, growing a suite of skills, and, most importantly, building and nurturing lasting relationships. The other path was less familiar