Take the Risk: Learning to Identify, Choose, and Live with Acceptable Risk - Softcover

Carson M.D., Ben

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0310341833 ISBN 13: 9780310341833

Publisher: Zondervan, 2015

Synopsis

No risk, pay the cost. Know risk, reap the rewards. In our risk-avoidance culture, we place a high premium on safety. We insure our vacations. We check crash tests on cars. We extend the warranties on our appliances. But by insulating ourselves from the unknown—the risks of life—we miss the great adventure of living our lives to their full potential.

Ben Carson spent his childhood as an at-risk child on the streets of Detroit, and today he takes daily risks in performing complex surgeries on the brain and the spinal cord. Now, offering inspiring personal examples, Dr. Carson invites us to embrace risk in our own lives. From a man whose life dramatically portrays the connection between great risks and greater successes, here are insights that will help you dispel your fear of risk so you can dream big, aim high, move with confidence, and reap rewards you’ve never imagined.

By avoiding risk, are you also avoiding the full potential of your life?

The surgery was as risky as anything Dr. Ben Carson had seen. The Bijani sisters—conjoined twins—shared part of a skull, brain tissue, and crucial blood flow. One or both of them could die during the operation. But the women wanted separate lives. And they were willing to accept the risk to reach the goal, even against the advice of their doctors. As a child on the dangerous streets of Detroit, and as a surgeon in operating theaters around the world, Dr. Ben Carson has learned all about risk—he faces it on a daily basis. Out of his perilous childhood, a world-class surgeon emerged precisely because of the risks Dr. Carson was willing to take.

In his compelling new book, he examines our safety-at-all-costs culture and the meaning of risk and security in our lives. In our 21st-century world, we insulate ourselves with safety. We insure everything from vacations to cell phones. We go on low-cholesterol diets and buy low-risk mutual funds. But in the end, everyone faces risk, like the Bijani twins did with their brave decision. Even if our choices are not so dramatic or the outcome so heartbreaking, what does it mean if we back away instead of move forward? Have we so muffled our hearts and minds that we fail to reach for all that life can offer us---and all that we can offer life?

Take the Risk guides the reader through an examination of risk, including:

• A short review of risk-taking in history,
• An assessment of the real costs and rewards of risk,
• Learning how to assess and accept risks, and

Understanding how risk reveals the purpose of your lives.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., became the chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1984 at the age of 33, making him the youngest major division director in the hospital's history. He has written and published nine books, four of which were co-authored with Candy,  his wife of 40 years. Dr. Carson was the recipient of the 2006 Spingarn Medal. In June 2008, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom. U.S. News Media Group and Harvard's Center for Public Leadership recognized Dr. Carson as one of "America's Best Leaders" in 2008. In 2014, the Gallup Organization, in their annual survey, named Dr. Carson as one of the 10 Most Admired Men in the World.

Dr. Carson and his wife are co-founders of the Carson Scholars Fund, which recognizes young people of all backgrounds for exceptional academic and humanitarian accomplishments. In addition, Dr. Carson is now the Honorary National Chairman of the My Faith Votes campaign and continues to work tirelessly for the cause of the American people.

From Publishers Weekly

Carson (Think Big) retells stories from previous books, focusing on the idea of risk. As one of the world's top pediatric neurosurgeons, Carson has a lot of experience weighing the odds—and in most cases, lives are on the line. His Best/Worst Analysis for any situation includes four questions: What's the best thing that can happen if I do this? What's the worst thing that can happen if I do this? What's the best thing that can happen if I don't do it? What's the worst thing that can happen if I don't do it? Carson's decisions are also rooted in his faith, with his greatest priority being to use the talents God has given rather than simply to preserve his reputation. By the end, his four-question formula wears thin, however, and he uses the idea of risk to launch into apparently unrelated subjects—the creation/evolution debate, his own belief in God, sharing his faith, problems with public education and even fiscal policy (where he suggests getting rid of money altogether in lieu of handprints and retina scans). Carson can be inspiring, but this book would have been better with a tighter focus and greater depth. (Jan.)
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Edition details

• Publisher: Zondervan
• Publication date: 2015
• ISBN 10: 0310341833
• ISBN 13: 9780310341833
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 240