What I'm realizing after having read some of the comments and thought more about the subject is that I might not have captured my true feelings here.

We have to use discernment to properly assess the risks, but also not having a strong sense of vision for what is possible will inevitably keep you in the "safe" risk-free zone.

This Friday I was at a meeting for my clown job. A problem arose and the supervisor appealed to the staff for their thoughts on a proper course of action. Lots of good ideas came up, and when they did, I couldn't help noticing that the supervisor framed all of her responses with the awful phrase: "yea, but the problem with that is...."

It was like nails on a chalkboard. I kid you not she said it 4-5 times in a row to people who had a stake in the issue and genuinely wanted to help. I believe she is doing her best but lacks the creative drive to view challenges as opportunities and thinks only within a very narrow set of limits. On the other hand, if she threw all caution to the wind and entertained every solution equally without limits, broadening her perspective, that would be a problem too.

What I'm trying to say really is that I think most challenges, problems and tasks in life generally require a type of negotiation or dance, if you will, with the idealistic, visionary, and private (i.e. one's individual desires) and physical, socio-cultural or familial constructed realities, expectations and/or limitations. Having one completely without the other might lead to a terribly lonely existence.