The Devil's Advocate

13

Take fewer risks

One of the basic tenets of economics holds that profit is the reward for risk. You can see it most visibly in finance with the risk and reward ratios for investing in asset classes like shares and bonds (theoretically!).

But try asking a mountain climber or freefall parachutist if they like to take risks. Mountaineer Sir Chris Bonnington holds close to his mother’s dictum, ‘Do dangerous things safely’. Or as Chief Scout, adventurer and all-round hero of small boys, Bear Grylls had drilled into him by his father, ‘If there’s any doubt, there’s no doubt’. People setting out on these amazing adventures go to considerable lengths to remove as many risks as they possibly can.

It might be machismo, it might be laziness, but ...