It's fairly widely accepted that there is risk to everything we do. Regardless of your field, the ability to accurately assess, account for and deal with risk is intrinsically linked with success.  The highest achievers aren't scared to take appropriate risks and seem to deal better with those times when the risk doesn't pay off.

At times successful influence relies on taking a calculated risk.  Whilst we can build a deep understanding of those we seek to influence and plan effectively to do so, there will often come a time when we won't know how what it is we are trying to say, will be received.  There will be other times where we just won't have the information we need to make a fully informed decision about how we can influence someone.

This article suggests that while there is some link between age and risk appetite, that the link between brain volume and risk appetite is more significant.  What we do day to day seems to be important in this regard so if we practice taking risks, forcing ourselves out of comfort zones, we'll maintain our ability to effectively manage risk for longer.