I know that some of you have been thinking up some pretty cool ideas in their crazy little minds on how to change the world and make it a better place. Maybe it’s been some time but I am sure that you were not always a banker, consultant, teacher, officer or lawyer, having not much time left at the end of the day to think about something else than your work.

In this article I will explain my favorite technique to deal with risk aversion. I sit down and pull out this trump when I want to do something that requires me to take a ‘risk’ but the little voice in my head is still holding me from becoming serious about making the next step.

First things first – When you have a really cool idea, it will keep you up half night long, you think about how it could work, and how big this could be. I am convinced that everybody has had that feeling at least once. What happens to most of these ideas? At night you had the most awesome idea in the world, one that would make you rich, change the world, be loads of fun or any combination of the above. The next morning you wake up and doubt starts creeping in. This little voice in your head tells you that it would be crazy to take the risk. Throw everything away? Give up the job? Tell everybody that you have this idea that is totally nuts and have half the people reply that it’s not the idea that’s nuts but you? So how can you make sure that the little voice in your head doesn’t always get to interfere with your great ideas?

I have come up with some pretty awesome and crazy stuff lately. The latest project idea: Riding from Berlin, Germany to India by bike. It wasn’t easy for me to tell people about this great plan of mine, and yes, I had to overcome some inner resistance to tell family and friends about the project.

To leave the business, a friend and I have built up, more or less unattended for half a year, is a decision that some people would consider crazy and others irresponsible. But what really is irresponsible, is to never go after bigger, crazier, more ambitious or more fun projects. Life is short. You shouldn’t procrastinate living every minute to the fullest.

Killing last inner resistance and risk adversity

So how can you deal with the voice in your head that tells you that it is too freaking risky to do something awesome, instead of dwelling in the cubicle?

I use a technique that I call the worst case scenario stunt. It was introduced to me by Tim Ferriss’ bestseller ‘The 4 Hour Work Week’ and I’ve used it ever since.

Step 1: Write down the very worst things that could happen to you if you take the risk. Go from ‘likely’ things that could happen to the absurd.

In my case, the very worst thing that could happen when I go to India is that our business will lose clients. Projects that I pushed will come to a hold for some time. The business could go bankrupt and my business partner could hate me forever for having taken the trip to India. The woman could leave me because she thinks that I’ve totally lost it. I’d be left on my own in Iran, with my passport and credit card stolen. The project I am raising funds for doesn’t get a single donation and my friends tell me that they always thought I am an idiot and delete me on Facebook.

Step 2: Write down how you would deal with the worst case scenario, in the very unlikely event that it happened.

 If life has no mercy, the scenario in step 1 would be about the cruelest things that could happen to me. But it wouldn’t be my end.

If I was stranded in Iran, I could hitchhike back to Germany, get assistance from the embassy, steal food or sing in the streets to earn me some lunch money. If the company went broke I could get a job at a bar and build a new, better and bigger enterprise. The same goes for the other risks – there is no challenge that I could not eventually deal with and overcome.

When I write down the worst case scenario, it usually makes me laugh and I realize that it is very unlikely that all these things happen to me at once. There is really no foreseeable big risk with the potential to kill me. When this message slowly sinks into my head, I just go ahead, take the risk and see if it kills me.

What is your technique to destroy the perceived risk in your mind, before making a bigger decision in your life? Do you need a technique at all or are you the natural Cool, who goes for it no matter what. As usual I am happy about any comments, likes and retweets.

Thomas