To be in command you must first be aware of what you control! It is true that you can tell yourself I am happy even if everything around you is sad, or you can tell yourself no harm can come to me when in a dangerous situation. However, if you are sad then your false happiness will not allow you to deal with the issue that is making you sad and if harm is possible your false sense of security will not properly prepare you to protect yourself against the dangers that might otherwise be managed.

There will be times when you need to take on risk to enjoy certain experiences, or to achieve certain types of growth, but you don’t always need to take on risk to grow. You can have experiences or grow without risk. Knowing what you can control (confidence) is important but over-confidence can be fatal; likewise, assuming you control something you don’t can lead to failure just as quickly as not having necessary knowledge or ability.