[adatta02]

Being 21 I'd say the last point about 'Give the big middle finger to the good or bad opinion of others' is really solid advice. Every time I tell a parent/relative/family friend that I'm working for myself after I graduate I get this blank stare and then a "why don't you work for Google or something?"

I guess in ten years I'll have to reflect and see how all this outrageous risk turns out.

[spaghetti]

Speaking from experience with risk-taking in terms of starting one's own business: do it, it's worth it. The major potential pitfall along the way is too much stress. It's dangerous because it can lead you down the wrong path. I've found that even if you're business doesn't grow as fast as you want you'll learn really valuable lessons and be in a great position to do other things as long as you're not over-stressed.

[ojbyrne]

Just a random question, I'm curious to hear people's opinions. Wouldn't moving to Bolivia for a year, quietly making connections, and figuring out how to smuggle 10kg of the best cocaine back to the US qualify as risk taking according to the article?

[rjurney]

Yes. But would it qualify as 'surround yourself with others you want to be like?' Do you want to be like your typical drug smuggler? Do they have happy endings? ;)

[ojbyrne]

To your first 2 questions - maybe? I have read a few books about drug smugglers, and they're often quite interesting people. I've certainly met some entrepreneurial types I didn't at all like, plus there's plenty of them out there who basically get screwed (down rounds, recapitalization, etc). Assuming entrepreneurship always leads to happy endings seems to be a common fallacy.

And while we always hear about the entrepreneurs who succeed, we always hear about the drug smugglers who fail. It's difficult to estimate proportions in both cases.

[rjurney]

The guys who are worth telling popular stories about are the 'good guy' exceptions. The typical large-scale cocaine trafficker is not a nice person.

That being said, you're probably about as likely to get busted as you are to go broke, but at least in a startup you just lose all your money.

[geeko]

This is a good point. We just lack the data to make any predictions whether going the "road less traveled by" leads to success (whatever that means) and assume that "all the difference" equals good (whereas it's rather neutral).

[1] Robert Frost: The Road Not Taken (http://www.bartleby.com/119/1.html)

[bigbang]

The article does say, "I’m not talking stupid risks. But smart, calculated ones." :)

[tomjen]

If you succed you are basically set for life. If you fail you loose 4-6 years of your life. How is that different from a startup?

[bigbang]

In startup, if you fail you dont lose 4-6 years of your life. Moreover people wont consider you a failure if you fail in a startup, as opposed to say landing up in a prison.

[zackattack]

This is such a stupid comment, I don't know where to begin. Possible attacks on your argument:

1. "set for life" - not necessarily, plus you would have to sell the drugs, etc.

2. just lose 4-6 years of your life - criminal penalties likely greater

3. horrible effects of prison on your psyche and future work possibilities

4. possible death from involvement w/ criminal underworld

5. with a start-up you get transferable experience

Other reasons why this is a stupid comment:

1. Learn to spell succeed

2. Learn to spell lose

If you are not a native speaker, I apologize for #1 but #2 can be corrected with a spellcheck plugin. But it seems like you just typed quickly without thinking your comment through.

[ojbyrne]

It's interesting that I didn't get the one answer that I was fishing for - that entrepreneurship involves a desire to make the world a better place. I guess that is debatable.

[access_denied]

You asked about risk-taking, not entrepreneurship.

[TweedHeads]

Heroine is worth 10 times more. Pick your merchandise right.

The effort and jail time is the same, the profits much much better.

[Timothee]

I definitely need to work on that specific point. I tend to look for validation from others in what I'm doing and also to compare myself to other people around, like seeing where they are in life relative to their age and mine...

Yeah, I definitely need to stop worrying about that :)

[spaghetti]

I'm reading an outstanding book that addresses this issue. It's called "Your Erroneous Zones" by Wayne Dyer. The general theme of the book is "Break Free from Negative Thinking".

[marcusbooster]

I can look back and see a lot of great relationships I made with co-workers "being in the trenches" together. And a perspective you wouldn't necessarily get if you were put in a management position from the get-go.