Every opportunity in our lives always has its own risks. It isn’t easy to make the right decisions. I have made many mistakes. I have always wondered, is there a way  to actually weigh the risks and opportunities I  am gonna take? I think there is. We have to understand the types of risks and opportunities.

We can’t predict the future. Some things seem good at first but it doesn’t become what we expect. Some things seem like the worst thing ever, but instead, it leads us to a valuable opportunity. I have been in a situation I have never expected before, I am happy for what I have gone through, and I am grateful for the life I have now. I truly understand that my life will be very different a few years from now, like how it has been changing for the past years. Here is an example: I had an accident that made me unable to study in Germany, I felt really sad at that time. However, I eventually have more time with my family in Indonesia, am able to learn the skills I need to be used in South East Asia,  etc. Maybe, that mistake can be a snowball of good results in the years to come. Who knows? I didn’t even know I would have studied Food Tech and be obsessed about Analytics and Finance. I was planning to study Mechatronics before that.

Types of Risks:

1. Physical Safety and Health Risk
2. Relationship Risk
3. Time Risk
4. Financial Risk

Types Opportunities:

1. Time Opportunity
2. Financial Opportunity
3. Personal Growth Opportunity
4. Relationship Opportunity
5. Experience Opportunity
6. Contribution Opportunity

When we get an opportunity, whether it is business, career, or life, we always have to understand that there is always a certain risk involved. The people who make the best out of their lives know this, they are able to weigh and compare, then make the best decisions.

Take it or leave it, there is nothing right or wrong in making a decision. I think everyone has their own opinion and priorities. Here are some examples of the analysis that will put a clear picture in our mind:

• A drug business will give us a huge financial and time opportunities. It means we can make a lot of money in a relatively short time. When we extract value from the two opportunities, we can live freely and get almost whatever we want. However, it contains a large physical safety and health risks, also includes relationship risk with our family. We may lose our happy family dream if we do not do it well. We may even get killed if things go wrong.
• Riding a motorcycle may provide us a little bit of time and financial opportunities. We can save time and not stuck in traffic jam, it is also cheap. However, it has a huge physical and health risk too. Every single day, there is someone dead in a motorcycle accident in Jakarta.
• An internet startup contains a huge time risk and a moderate financial risk. You may work hard for years to get nothing in return. Of course, there are people who make it and you can always read about them in the media. However, behind them, there are tens of thousands of people who wasted years of their lives. Wasting years means you waste years-worth of wealth creation, you can make more money with a simple career or a simple business. It doesn’t always have to be very high-tech. The opportunities are compelling too: Time, Financial, Personal Growth, Experience, Contribution. Wow! If you have a lot of time, starting an internet startup could be something you should do.

I hope the 3 examples can pretty much serve the purpose of this blog post. The numbers imply the priority that I believe the most important to take care of. It means we I would make sure to avoid physical and health risk and also keep taking the time opportunity. The numbers can differ based on each individual’s preference.

I usually take a decision with the highest financial risk and lowest physical and health risk. The decision should contain the highest time and financial opportunities. Why? Financial opportunity can be a foundation to get other opportunities. Of course, there are things that have far greater opportunities and low risks. Those are my favourites.

I hope this blog post can be beneficial for your future decision making. 🙂