It’s No Better to Be Safe Than Sorry

Why Bold Leaps Can Redefine Our Lives

“It’s no better to be safe than sorry.” That lyric from a-ha’s Take on Me has been playing on repeat in my mind lately, not just because it’s catchy, but because it challenges something deeply ingrained in many of us. For as long as I can remember, I’ve lived under the watchful gaze of two trusted sayings:

“It’s better to be safe than sorry.”
“Look before you leap.”

They were lovingly handed down by my parents and grandparents, and for the most part they helped shape a life rooted in caution, consideration, and care. But here’s the twist: some of the most life-defining, transformative choices I’ve made have flown in the face of them.

A Personal Story

Take, for instance, the decision to leave Zimbabwe – my homeland, my roots, my everything familiar.

I can still picture the scene vividly. We were gathered around the dinner table when I simply announced, with all the casual finality of someone discussing weekend plans, “I’m going to move to England.”

To say it surprised my parents would be an understatement. I’d given no indication. No drawn-out deliberations. No pros-and-cons lists. Just a declaration that came seemingly out of nowhere… and yet, from that moment on, the course of my life shifted.

Looking back, I’m not sure I’d thought it through in the traditional sense. But what I had was a gut-level certainty, a pull stronger than the voice of caution. Had I clung to those old adages, had I waited to be sure, to be “safe,” I might never have gone.

Exploring the Insight

There’s no denying the good intentions behind the conventional wisdom passed down to us. Most sayings like “look before you leap” come from a place of love… ancestors and elders who, in trying to protect us from harm, hoped to spare us pain. Yes, there’s real wisdom in that, but taken too literally, these ideas can become shackles.

Human progress has rarely been shaped by certainty. The explorers, the innovators, the pioneers – they didn’t wait until the path was proven or perfectly planned. They moved despite the risk, not because it was safe but because it mattered.

A Wider Reflection

There’s another quote that’s always stayed with me:

“A ship in harbour is safe, but that’s not what ships are built for.”

We weren’t built to stay tethered to the familiar, anchored in fear. We were made for movement, for trying, for stretching, for believing that even if the waters are choppy, we’ll find a way to sail.

That’s where a-ha’s lyric strikes a chord. It flips the age-old saying on its head. Because maybe it’s not always better to be safe than sorry. Maybe sometimes the real regret lies in not leaping when our heart is calling us forward.

Closing Encouragement

So the next time you’re standing at the edge of a decision, staring into the unknown, ask yourself: “Am I playing it safe because it’s wise… or because it’s comfortable?”

Take a breath. Take a beat. And then, maybe, just maybe, take the leap.

You might just find that you already have everything within you to face whatever comes. Not because it’s easy. Not because it’s safe. But because you’re ready.