To be or not to be all in

To be or not to be all in

by Michelle Bergquist

We’re told from the “experts” to take risks and bet everything on this or that. You gotta “go for it,” and you need to have “skin in the game.” If you’re not risking it all you can’t succeed at it all. On the flip side, we’re also told to be more cautious, more strategic, more conservative and to not gamble on anything before we assess the risk. I don’t know about you, but to me this advice flip flop is super confusing!

So exactly how much should we be “all in” to something? And more importantly, what does being “all in” mean for us as women in business?

When I think of being “all in,” I think of a mindset, a mantra on life and business, not the level of risk versus safety, or consequences versus results, or even success versus failure.

I think being “all in” is about taking on a commitment to Michelle Bergquist risk in your life, and in business, and to realize that nothing is ever perfect or a sure thing. Bigger than that, we don’t always find success right away from being “all in.”

We can, however, be “all in” to the process of trying new things, taking more risks, being more persistent. The end result becomes satisfaction of excellence rather than perfection. And honestly, ladies, don’t we all know that our success in life and business is about the journey, not the destination?!

So many times I’ve been in conversations with women who feel they can’t and won’t take risks and go “all in.” They’re worried whether they’ll fail, or that the worst will happen. They might be ridiculed or accused of being dumb, or stupid, just for trying.

So why not try something new and take a leap of faith knowing that you learn as you go. My hope, for us, as women in business is to never give up, always be brave, and commit everyday with a mindset to do better, be better and strive for growth, rather than success.