Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been obsessed with heroes in pop culture. And it’s no surprise that heroes still dominate our culture. Batman, Frodo, Wonder Woman, Luke Skywalker, Spider-Man, Rocky Balboa. These are all heroes that at some point in their lives were called to be, have, or do something different, something greater.

They were called to take a risk that would require them to leave behind the place they called home, and become a different person than they had been their entire lives.

At first, like most people, they resisted the call. They didn’t believe they were good enough (even if they already had superpowers!), or they felt obligated to stay right where they were.

Sometimes they were forced into their adventure by an event or circumstance. Other times they saw they could no longer tolerate staying the person they always had been, and had no choice but to take that risk.

Real heroes, like the ones we can become in our own life, are no different.

To actually become the hero, however, requires that we not only listen to the call, but that we take the risk it requires to go on our own adventure.

By nature, most people, companies, and institutions, are risk averse. From the way we make daily decisions, to the bigger choices we make in our lives. Taking a risk is scary, and often we choose what’s known and comfortable over what’s unknown.

Whether you’re aware of it or not, you take risks each and every day. We all do. It could be taking a different route to work, changing up your coffee order, trying out a new restaurant, or asking someone out on a date.

Too often, however, we don’t take the risks that bring out our own heroic potential, and instead take the risks that keep us stuck with the way things are and always have been.

Not getting out of bed 30 minutes early to workout, not asking for the raise or promotion you know you’ve earned, choosing to say “yes” when you really want and need to say “no.” These are all just as risky as committing to a new workout routine, or putting your head down at work, but they just feel safer because it’s all you’ve ever known.

A risk is nothing more than a choice. So why are we more likely to stick only to the small, relatively easy choices but are so afraid of the choices that can change our lives and make us the hero of our own story?

It starts with looking at risk through a different lens. That, combined with a greater purpose and meaning behind the risk leads to a more empowering, and rewarding choice. A Purposeful Risk.

Purposeful Risks are the choices made that lead to heroic results. It’s overcoming the resistance that comes when you hear the call in your head and your heart to do or be something greater, or even just something different.

When you take a Purposeful Risk, you are moving closer to what you are being called to do in order to become a better, more heroic version of yourself. It’s breaking free from your status quo so that you can show up as your true self, reach your full potential, and make a bigger impact in your world.

If you’re ready to answer that call and take more Purposeful Risks, you will first need to align with three essential elements:

A Purposeful Risk doesn’t have to be as monumental as putting in your notice to leave your job today, or investing your life savings in the stock market, or selling your house so you can travel the world.

Taking even one small Purposeful Risk can have a significant impact in your world. It could be a difficult conversation you’re resisting, creating a website for your new business, publishing your writing online, or buying a plane ticket for the trip you’ve been putting off.

In any hero’s story, real or fiction, you’ll be sure to find that there was some element of luck, timing, grit, hard work, strategy, support, and other qualities to help them achieve success. However, what was common for each and every one of them was that at some point they were at a crossroads, or a crucial decision moment. They had a dream or desire that was calling to them, and instead of turning back, they listened to it and chose to move forward.

They could have kept with the status quo and resisted the call, but instead decided to take that Purposeful Risk that led them to leave their old life and their old self behind so they could become who they were meant to become.

You are ready to become that hero. What’s the Purposeful Risk you’re ready to take to start your hero’s journey?