When I decided to leave corporate America, some friends and family didn’t understand. I’d worked hard during college to position myself for a job with a reputable organization. I was walking away from that stability to pursue a risky start-up idea, which sounded crazy to them. It just wasn’t something people in my circle did. I was one of only a few with the tolerance for high risk needed to pursue this path.

As I look around today, I see a different landscape. Many people want to pursue entrepreneurship. It’s a beautiful thing, and I love it. But that doesn’t change the fact that being an entrepreneur is risky. It appears that more people have a higher risk tolerance and are moving forward as founders.

I’m now wondering if this higher risk tolerance is specific to entrepreneurship or more general. If the latter, what impact (good or bad) could this have on society over the next decade or so? I don’t have an answer to this yet, but I’ll be thinking more about it and getting the perspective of others.