You’re Doing WHAT?

Risk-taking can expand your horizons

Here is Andrew Hyduke’s perfect vacation: He travels far from home, gets someone to drive him deep into the woods, then hikes back through rain, snow, bears and rattlesnakes, returning a week later a new man.

“It gives me energy and freedom,” says Hyduke, a 50-year-old father from Bethlehem who makes at least one such hike annually.

How can one person find peace in something others would call foolhardy? The answer is both genetic and environmental, says psychiatrist Najma Khanani, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “If the very thought of an airplane makes you nervous, you’ll avoid skydiving,” she says. “On the other hand, if your parents skydive you probably won’t think it’s a big risk.”

Types of risk
Risk isn’t limited to extreme activities. It also includes leaving a steady job to start your own company, or relocating. For 33-year-old Kevin Houser, the risk was getting up in front of people. Houser feared public speaking so much he once dropped a college course to avoid it.

Two years ago the South Whitehall Township man joined Sunrise Toastmasters and conquered his fear. “At first I thought I’d make a fool of myself,” he says. “Now, I am a professional speaker.”

No matter the risk, the reward is the same. “You get a feeling of gratification,” Khanani says. “For extreme sports it’s an adrenaline rush, while for an entrepreneur it might be the satisfaction of being a better provider.”

Who takes risks?
You might think males are more likely to be risk-takers, but recent studies disprove that. The true indicator is a brain chemical called dopamine. People with a naturally high level crave that rush of adrenaline.

Khanani doesn’t know her own dopamine level, but she knows the appeal of risks. Several years ago, she and her husband took their infant daughter on safari in Tanzania. “We saw elephants with legs as big as our car, and heard a lion’s roar echo through the valley,” she says. “Some people thought we were crazy, but it’s an experience we cherish.”

If you’re not a natural risk-taker, consider pushing yourself, she says. “Imagine what you’re missing because of the fears you have. Overcoming those fears means taking a risk, but it can lead to a more enriched life.”

Want to Know More? Read Andrew Hyduke’s and Kevin Houser’s complete stories by clicking at right, or call 610-402-CARE for a printed copy.

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