Why Going With the Safe Option is Never Safe

We’ve been fed this idea our entire lives that there are only two options for the future: Door #1 or Door #2. One is always a safer option than the other. But what if this linear way of thinking is holding us back?

On a recent episode of The Darin Olien Show,

I sat down with my good friend Logan Gelbrich. Logan is the founder of DEUCE Gyms in California and author of the eye-opening book Going Right: A Logical Justification for Pursuing Your Dreams. He’s also a former professional baseball player for the San Diego Padres.

Logan’s taken a lot of risks, and he credits those risks to his unique perspective on life, which he lays out in his book. Even though his thinking parallels my own, I’ve never seen it laid out this clearly before.

There’s Always More Than Two Doors

The biggest point of Logan’s book, and his view on life, is that the concept of Door #1 and Door #2 is bunk. It’s a lie. And it’s a lie that’s kept a lot of us from pursuing our dreams. We heard it from our parents, our teachers, our friends – come up with a “Plan B”, pick the safe option that will give you security and stability. 

But the truth is security is an illusion. I mean, you only have to look around the world at this current moment in time to see that. People that always thought their jobs were stable are suddenly out of work for the first time in their lives. Nothing is guaranteed. Nothing is “safe”. “Anytime your brain wants to simplify something as either x or y, it is never the case,” Logan says.

We All Want the Best Version of Ourselves

The truth is, pursuing your dreams will be the harder path, but it will lead to growth and evolution, probably in ways you can’t even imagine. As Logan says, 

“I think every human being who’s ever lived a life has felt a desire somewhere in their belly to find the best version of themselves, and some quiet it more than others.”

When you make the harder choice, say pursuing your musical aspirations as opposed to something more practical that comes with guaranteed income, it’s not just a black and white deal. There’s no finish line. As you pursue your music dreams, you’ll learn along the way, you’ll network and meet people who will guide and teach you, you’ll get rejected, you’ll bounce back. You’ll learn. And maybe you won’t end up on the stage at Carnegie Hall (sorry, my hypothetical musical scenarios are limited), but you’ll end up doing something in music that means something to you.

Dreams evolve as you evolve. And you can’t evolve by taking the easy, safe path. Because there is no safe path. 

So don’t choose Door #1 or Door #2. Carve through that wall and make a new door. That’s what life is all about. Taking risks, making decisions that make you happy. Safe is an illusion. Do what you want to do, and soak up all the lessons along the way. As the famous Robert Frost poem goes “I took the path less traveled and that has made all the difference”.