The paradoxical nature of risks - The upside is directly proportional to the downside.

Mia! When I saw her dodge paying for the order, I knew she was a fraud. I did not know why Ness, Felix, and Santiago did not notice this. The trio were mostly concerned about Ness messing up the meeting by speaking out about how Santiago was going to pull off and make it in Miami with his talent. If I was Santi's Manager like Ness, I would have done the same thing. That is the truth. I mean I wouldn't want anyone sowing seeds of discord or negativity in the mind of the artist I have been managing for so many years until he finally found fame even though it was just on the internet. So, I supported Ness. But Santiago and Felix saw something completely different. You know this post will not be about the trio today, maybe as I keep watching the series, I will fill in on the details.

The paradoxical nature of risks - The upside is directly proportional to the downside.png
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Today it's Mia.

She invented herself. She made herself look like someone who is well connected and could give a newborn talent on the street like Santiago a chance to be seen, heard, and accepted. She wanted this life. And she was able to play her role perfectly well that you wouldn't notice until you see her in action.

She reminded me of Abuja and how since I stepped foot here, everyone I met was living the fake-it-till-you-make-it lifestyle. Initially, I was disgusted by it. But gradually, I have come to take what every person says about themselves with a grain of sand until I see results.

Mia took it upon herself to pretend to be someone she wasn't until she got busted by Felix. And because Felix doesn't want to let his friend and homey down, he agrees to stick to the plan and make sure Santiago performs in the club. Everything went well except for the part where the crowd they imagined wasn't exactly what they expected.

In my head, I figured everyone had their first-time stories. Those moments when the people you have to present your talents to are tiny compared to the crowd you imagined and wanted to wow in the first place. It will take a lot of commitment, consistency, and moving forward no matter how frustrating it looks to finally meet your dream crowd and make all of your dreams turn into destiny. For Santi, this was the lesson life threw at him.

Mia, on the other hand, took the risk of reinventing herself from an office assistant to someone who signs upcoming artists and brings them up to stardom. In her head, she works for a music label and she tried to make that happen in real life. It was a risk she was willing to take. And you know the thing about risk is the paradox that comes with it.

In simple terms,

The greater the risk you are willing to take, the greater the potential gains you may enjoy.

The upside is directly related to the downside. This means that the chances of getting a big good payoff also follow the chances of getting burned out by the market resulting in losing it all. Mia might be able to see herself through her invented identity and make it or she might even lose her current standing in the society if word got out that she was mostly pretending to be something she isn't.

It really doesn't matter if people take risks in work-life situations or when they are planning to make an investment decision. What matters is that they are able to do so while considering what could go wrong and finding a way to minimize it.

Minimizing risks has been paired with diversification over the years. Mia for instance could make sure she has something to fall back on if she's exposed or she could make sure everything works out at any cost so she can carefully switch from being an assistant to building a label that signs talents up as she originally dreamt.

It will all take a good plan and the determination to make it work. The truth is making people start believing in us and what we can do will only need the courage to start from where we are, with what we have instead of waiting until everything is rosy. Mia wants to be this person she invented and she didn't wait until life handed it to her in a platter of gold. She chose to great her own luck.

If you are looking at this from a financial perspective, you will see that all of us can create our luck too. If we simply start by diligently doing our own research before trading all of our life's savings into a certain investment portfolio. By educating ourselves we permit ourselves to make fewer blunders. Like Mia who learned how to impress and own the room so you barely notice she isn't really everything she claimed to be. She became a master at this, and if she pulls through could win her the recognition that she desires. I am not supporting her? No, I am only of the opinion that everything's fair in business.