This past summer, I took the most incredible vacation ever. We over-planned, over-packed and over-spent on a two-week road trip to Glacier National Park, where we explored the most beautiful scenery I’ve ever laid eyes on.

The incredible memories and this park’s unpredicted rise to the No. 1 spot on our family’s list of favorite National Parks, can be directly attributed to the numerous hikes we took to explore Glacier’s dramatic scenery and sheer beauty. But I think the risk-and-reward factor came in to play with that, as well.

You see, I’m a tough guy. An outdoorsman with cushy hiking shoes, a Camelback, air conditioning and a memory foam mattress (with matching pillows). And so nothing — NOTHING! — scares me. Particularly in front of my wife and two daughters. Nothing. At all. Except … perhaps … possibly … the near-certain likelihood that any hike in Glacier National Park would assuredly end in my being mauled by a grizzly bear.

It’s true. The signs warn you to be “bear aware” on the way into the park. Gift shops sell bear spray in double-barrel packages at prices that suggest your mere survival depends on its ownership. Trail heads let you know that bears frequent the area. Rangers walk around for the sole purpose of protecting you and also for conducting blood transfusions and CPR on you. And to make being death charged by a bear even more likely, my ladies all sported chapstick scented with huckleberry … which, by the way, happens to be the grizzly bear’s favorite food. Right behind “adult male human,” I suppose. Do you even realize how many grizzly bear encounter videos you can find on YouTube?

Now, I know that, as a business leader, you don’t have irrational fears. There are no grizzly bears in your world. You don’t worry about losing your top employee or whether or not that new boat line will pay off. You don’t think about how deep that next recession will be or how much it will slow down your sales. The competition and that brilliant move they just made? Not even on your mind. You never wonder to yourself if, maybe, sacrificing margins in favor of market share is truly the best strategy. It doesn’t cross your mind how you’re going to rid yourself of excess costs, inventory or inefficiencies. And you certainly don’t question your own leadership or management abilities. You’re tough and brave, too. I get it.

But in the event that maybe you are not 100-percent clear on what the future looks like, I want to challenge you to explore it and create it for yourself. I want to challenge you to break out of your comfort zone, take a few risks, experience something new.

In business, as in life itself, the most rewarding experiences are those that at one point seemed the most dangerous. The most risky. The most plotted in harm’s way. They are the opportunities you’ve explored only after overcoming obstacles and hardships. They are the ones that come with constant warning signs and reminders that you could be eaten alive without notice.

All of those bear fears could have, and almost did, deter us from taking those hikes. We could have taken the safe route and just gone to Disney World. But despite the risks and the high number of warning signs, it was not only the visit, but in fact, those hikes and the exploration that took us to the hidden lakes, the beautiful vistas, the waterfalls and glaciers, and yes, even a few grizzly bears — that turned out to be frightened by us, by the way.

As you create your plans for the year ahead, challenge yourself to break out of your regular habits. Learn something new. Try a new direction. Consider a new strategy. Break out of the mold. Envision a brighter future for yourself and your business. And do it by exploring new opportunities. Even those that come with risk.

Just know that as you venture out to explore unknown trails, your MRAA Team stands by to help you pave the way. We’re armed with the bear spray to protect you, and we’ve got the Park Rangers to guide you around the dangers that lurk out there. And we’re quite confident that we can help make your 2019 the most incredible, most rewarding year yet.