If You Want Something Different, You May Have to Risk Something Familiar
7 November 2025
Change always asks something of us.
Effort, time and mostly courage.
Getting what we truly want usually means risking what makes you feel safe right now.
Comfort. Approval. Certainty. Control.
In coaching scenarios, we often reach a moment where the coachee knows what they want, but they hesitate.
The hesitation is when they know the path forward requires letting go of something they’ve held tightly for a long time.
And in that space, we ask:
“What are you willing to risk to live more fully aligned?”
“What would you do if you were not afraid to lose anything?”
“What’s scarier? Taking the leap, or staying where you are?”
We don’t need to leap recklessly into things but we do need to step forward bravely.
The life we want won’t be handed to us in our comfort zone.
It will meet us just beyond our current horizon.
Go and explore the realm of possible!
You may find that some risks are worth taking.
Remember, the path to extraordinary is walked with a thousand small steps, and you’re doing great!
Barry Marshall-Graham
Executive coach and leadership advisor
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