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Swim at your own risk

Swim at your own risk

5th October, 2022

After a long day at work, I went to the pool to relax when I noticed this warning sign. Swimming is not something I am used to, but one of my goals for this quarter is to improve my fitness, so I am giving it a shot.

"Swim at your own risk" "No lifeguard on duty"

I'm not sure why this sentence came to mind, but I wanted to share with you how I reflected on our lives and the risks we take every day. We "live" at our own risk whether we are deciding on a career path, getting married, choosing a field of study, the best way to save, invest, or following certain diets. The consequences will fall squarely on our shoulders. Except for our actions, no one can change the outcome.

We are responsible for our own lives, and if we are sitting around waiting for someone to save, fix, or even help us, we are failing. We're squandering our time because only we have the ability, will, and responsibility to move our lives forward.

Do we enjoy taking chances? When I'm working on a project and the planning phase gets to the point of discussing the risks involved, I always notice that other stakeholders prefer delegating this type of work, discussions, or meetings to other members. Because they do not want to be held accountable. I was raised with the idea that the more risks we take, the greater our achievements, but this isn't always the case, and we (as humans) don't usually enjoy taking risks.

If you believe you need to master risk management in your projects or organization, please review our courses on risk management.


Project Risk Management: Preparation for Risk Management Professional (PMI-RMP)®
Enterprise Risk Management

About the Author
Karim Salem, PMP®, PMI-ACP®

Client Relations Lead

Karim Salem is a Client Relations Lead with Meirc Training & Consulting, based in Riyadh. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mechanical power engineering from Ain Shams University. Karim's application of classroom learning to real-world projects, where he has often served as a sole or principal leader, has consistently yielded innovative and successful outcomes.
In 2009, the British Council recognized Karim as one of the top 120 Arab youths for his impactful contributions as a GlobalChangeMaker® in community and country development initiatives. Notably, Karim made history as the first Egyptian to assume the presidency of a Rotaract® Club in the UAE.
Karim is PMP® certified. He continued his pursuit of excellence and expanded his skill set with a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP) certification. Moreover, he is advancing his knowledge and expertise by pursuing an MBA in Entrepreneurship from the EU Business School in Switzerland, Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia (UCAM) in Spain, and London Metropolitan University (London Met).
With a comprehensive engineering, project management, business development, and community leadership background, Karim is poised to continue making significant contributions to his field and beyond. As he navigates his role as Client Relations Lead, Karim's dedication to driving innovation, fostering relationships, and achieving results remains unwavering.

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