Risk

"To laugh is to risk being a fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out to another is to risk involvement.
To express feelings is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas, your dreams, before the crowd
Is to risk their loss. To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying.
To hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure.
The person who risks nothing,
Does nothing,
Has nothing and is nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow,
But they simply cannot learn, feel, change, grow, love or live.
Risks must be taken because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
Only a person who risks is free."
– Leo Buscaglia

I remember reading these words in a magazine for the first time when I was in college. They rang true to me then, and they still ring true to me now. They're even on my fridge at home. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, lost, doubtful, scared, or self-conscious, these words help ground me.