Not that long ago I got randomly selected to be on a survey panel from my gas company. So every now and then I answer some online questions and get Amazon points in return.  For the most part they are pretty innocuous questions about appliances and light bulbs but one time it was to preview energy conservation service announcements.  I got seriously irked. Particularly at the one that said “everyone should turn down their thermostats to 70 degrees”  as mine was set to 60!  But it did get me to thinking that perhaps those of us that are conservative in whatever behavior hear these messages and feel that we must dial it back even more.  Whether it’s ‘be careful what personal information you put on the Internet’ or ‘everyone should save more’ it would be a good idea to figure out the range of ‘everyone’ before making changes to what you already do.

You should be careful on the Internet, but there’s a big difference between posting your social security number and letting people know that you are a die-hard fan of Big Bird (isn’t everyone?)  Yes, that last could be slightly embarrassing in certain circles, but if you really are a die-hard fan, don’t you owe to yourself to be all that you are?  If you’re holding back because of the potential damage to your personal brand, what about the potential gain?  What if you become the go-to person for Big Bird fans around the world and get interviewed on Oprah, thus sending everyone to your blog so that you become the number one site on the web? It’s definitely not going to happen to the person that is worried about what people might think – either now or in 30 years.

Cautionary advice has its place, but not if you are so far over on the scale that you really need to be taking more risks.

Technorati Tags: being yourself, taking risks