If you fall into this category (and we all do from time to time) then ask yourself if this a risk you believe in? If so, then reframe your statement into, “This is a risk that is right for me to take. I am committed to taking this risk.”

It may never be a risk you ‘want’ to take. But, it is a risk you are committed to taking. Once you definitively state that you are committed to this risk then you’ll be amazed at how things fall into place.

If you’re answer is still ‘a risk I should take’ then there are a different set of questions to ask yourself that include:

Who thinks it’s a risk you should take? Yourself? Someone else?

If it’s someone else trying to influence your decision… why?

Are you committed on an intellectual level?

Are you committed on a heart (emotional) level?

What holds you back from fully committing to the taking this risk?

What do you need to fully commit?

How would you feel if you didn’t take the risk?

You must be careful if you try to move ahead with a risk that you think you ‘should’ take because you’ll be hesitant. Which by definition means you lack confidence, optimism and trust. This means to some degree you are operating BELOW the LINE. This means you are operating in shadow (with doubt and fear). You’ll tend to see things related to your risk in shadow. Once you fall into this cycle of thinking it becomes very easy to give up too soon. You’ll be tempted to quit instead of pulling together your reserves of strength and courage to make that critical CRUX Move.

Bottom line is that the key to taking a successful risk is being very clear that it is something that is right for you. This automatically takes your thinking ABOVE the LINE. You’ll operate off of a basis of trust and optimism which will fuel your courage and give you the strength to make your CRUX Move. Once you choose a mountain and you’ll find the skills you need to climb it.

A quote I often share from Sir Edmund Hillary and Goethe is: ”Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness, concerning all acts of initiative [and creation]. There is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans; that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man could have dreamed would have come his way.

Whatever you can do or dream, you can begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now.”

Intelligent risk taking requires that you think and act ABOVE the LINE, which in itself provides you with the courage, strength and wisdom required for success.

This new process allows individuals and teams to take a completely new and structured approach to evaluating risks and enhancing innovation.

Within our professional and personal lives there are patterns of thought and interactions that provide positive energy. They are ‘ABOVE the LINE‘ and enhance our ability to achieve our goals.There are also ‘BELOW the LINE’ patterns of thinking that drain energy away from us, our teams and our organization’s ability to find success.

This Strategic Thinking System creates a structured thinking environment that provides a logical, practical and systematic process to expand our perspective beyond its comfort zone. It identifies and minimizes negative, limited and unproductive thinking to energize individuals, teams and projects.

By definition… “No decision is ever better than the options considered.”

ABOVE the LINE thinking provides the structure to ensure that you have the best options possible.

C.O.M.P.A.R.A. is the acronym we use for the 7 disciplines of strategic thinking. Compara is French and means To Compare.

C. Creative

O. Optimistic

M. Methodical

P. Passionate

A. Analytical

R. Realistic

A. Altruistic

ABOVE the LINE Strategic Thinking is a simple, robust and powerful thinking system. It is designed to move individuals, teams and organizations that are stuck in BELOW the LINE thinking to create clean energy that will move them forward towards their goals.