Most of us believe in playing it safe. "Safety first" is the policy of the fainthearted, and many belong to this category. But life is something to be savored, enjoyed, experienced - not lived timidly, anxiously, like a batsman playing for a draw in a one-day cricket match!

It is easy to travel by the road everyone takes. But to take the road less traveled - isn't that a more exciting rewarding alternative?

As the poet Robert Frost said, "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,/ I took the one less traveled by/ And that has made all the difference".

True, the road less traveled by is the riskier of the two options, but risk is inevitable if you seek change, meaningful change in your life. Come to think of it, life is full of risks. Not even the so-called safe option is free from risk, except that it offers fewer rewards as well. A calculated risk is often worth taking, sometimes even unavoidable.

Just think of all the bright young Indians who venture abroad in search of material success. Aren't they taking enormous risks and don't they achieve success more often than not? Listen to Sibi K. Solomon's sage advice on when you should take risks and what you can gain by doing so. Listen to the wonderful success stories he relates about those who dared to be different.