159: 2.3 Risk averse

After a long on-call shift today, I had two options on how I was to head home through the snow. Either by taking a train from the station near the hospital (which is the fastest option but unreliable and was at risk of last minute cancellations) or venture in Central London with my colleague and take a tube back home from there.

I was still undecided when I got into the car. Shall I take the safer option but double my commute time, or shall I take a risk and opt for the local station hoping that the trains will run. Weighing the two options in my head quickly as we drove off, I thought it would be the worst thing in the world right now would be me having to check into hospital accommodation because the trains were not running. So I said to my colleague, "I don't want to take the risk. Can you drop me off at the tube nearest your house?"

I am not a big risk taker. Timid with my options, I would always lean towards safer choices. Nothing that would jeopardise status quo too much. For example, my career is pretty stable - its trajectory is very predictable. It is very unlike the business world, where high stake decisions are made everyday. As doctors, we do make risky decisions, but more often than not, there are guidelines to follow - so risks are evened out. In financial investments, I am also cautious - not putting our money in risky high profit bundles. I sometimes take longer routes to destinations just to avoid potential loss. My tendencies even manifests in the littlest of things such as ordering food at a familiar restaurant. The dishes that appear in front of me on the table would likely be the same dish that I ordered in my last three visits. The potential disappointment from ordering something that I might not enjoy afterwards paralyses me into choosing options that are safe. They say, no risk no gain - which partly holds truth. But I am also content in my steady stream of small wins rather than riding the waves of big gains and equally big losses.

So today, we braved the icy roads, as we drove onto the motorway and into the narrow roads of winter wonderland London. I walked to the nearest tube station and ventured home safely. Stepping out of my local station, I saw my normal train passing by - the one that I could have got on much earlier if I wasn't too afraid to take the risk. I smiled, and walked home.