Seven reasons you should become a girl daredevil: we had our people run the numbers. Taking a chance is scary. But so? Get some guts here.

One minute, you're living a nice life, minding your own business, just going to school and stuff. The next? Wham! You're facing a major decision: Take a risk and be the superhero of your own existence...or take the safe way out and forever wonder what could have been. Our opinion? Go the safe route, and we predict you'll spend your life as the Jan Brady to every Marcia of the world. Ouch.

OK, so maybe that's a bit harsh. But when we asked hundreds of readers if anything ever turned their life from "whatever" to "WOW!" what we got were tales of having the courage to take a risk. Simply put, putting yourself out there is the elixir of a girl's life.

Don't get us wrong, this isn't about risking life and limb by swimming in shark-infested waters wearing a steak bathing suit. No one is suggesting you do anything foolish during which death or dismemberment is a possible result.

This article is about the unbelievably cool benefits of everyday risks-like, say, asking your crush to a dance or putting those super-cool temporary purple streaks in your hair. Fact: Read this story, and you'll know why those go-for-it moments can change your whole idea about reality-and learn why, even if you should fail, you still win.

RISK ROCKS BECAUSE...

1. YOU CAN FACE DOWN YOUR FEARS.

"My class went on a field trip to a ropes course, and my group qualified to jump off a 40-foot platform," explains Kaitlyn, 13. "It was kind of like bungee-jumping, with safety equipment and harnesses. I'm terrified of heights, but as I watched everyone else go up, I realized how sad I would feel if I didn't take a chance. Climbing up was so hard that I regretted it a lot, especially once I got to the top and looked down. My classmates were all watching me, and I was so scared! But I jumped, and it felt so weird, but it felt awesome, too!"

Fear is real. An element of fear exists in every risk. Call it the "what if?" fear. Like, what if you try out for cheerleading and don't make it? What if you walk up to that new girl at camp to chat and she totally shuts you down? What if, like Kaitlyn, you face a fear, but get up there and can't move a muscle?

The cure? Think of risk as a vaccine. Remember those shots you had to get to guard against diseases before you could start kindergarten? When the nurse stuck that needle in your arm, she was actually injecting into you a little bit of the disease, a weakened version, so you could develop a defense.

Just like that shot helped you build an immunity to measles or whatever, taking a risk helps you build an immunity to fear. You learn that all the "what if's" of the world are only details-details you can so handle.

Says the courageous Kaitlyn, "What I now know about taking a 'leap' is that there are always rewards. I also know that even if you're scared, you should go ahead and jump right in. Why? You'll feel totally great afterward! Taking a risk is a huge accomplishment, even if you don't get your name in the paper or a big trophy. The best rewards are personal."

You take a risk and get what you hoped for. What could be cooler? After getting the OK from her folks, Kristen, 15, bleached two strips of hair down her long dark bangs, and then dyed those strips blue. And guess what-it looks so cool she can hardly stand herself!

2. YOU GET INSTANT SATISFACTION.

Out of the blue (sorry), her best friend got the guts to dye her hair hot pink a la Kelly Osbourne (OK, Kelly a year ago). And her friend with the brown perma-ponytail went for a short, sassy 'do...and loves it! See what Kristen did? Being courageous is contagious!

"I had never been in a play before, but I've always loved to sing and dance," says Corrine, 16. "I was totally intimidated when I decided to go to an audition. The drama kids had been in the program, like, forever. They all knew each other and knew which parts they wanted. And then there was me, nervous and clueless. When my name was called, I took a breath and pretended I wasn't about to wet my pants. I ended up with a huge supporting role! Now, when I want something and it seems there's no way I could get it, I think of that moment."

The obvious lesson here? Take a risk and...get what you want! You want to be on the volleyball team? Try out! You want your crush? Call him, send him an e-mail, ask him to a movie! The trick is to focus on the reward (a spot on the team, your crush!) as a positive way to let the "prize" give you the cha-cha's to take a risk and go for it!

3. YOU GET TO STOP OBSESSING.

"I liked this guy Alex for about two years, but I was very nervous to ask him out because he was part of the 'in' crowd and I wasn't," says Amelia, 15. "The day before Valentine's Day, I just got sick of liking him from afar and decided to go for it. I slipped a card into his locker and hoped for the best. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? I was done dreaming about what we might be like as a couple. I was so over worrying about whether or not he'd like me back."

Sometimes, you spend so much time thinking about and hoping for and wanting something that it becomes natural to think of it as unattainable. The guy you like who's too "cool" for you, the summer arts program you're sure you'll never get into, the funny girl in the popular group you've convinced yourself wouldn't give you the time of day...

That unattainability is actually just an illusion you've created for yourself. Maybe you won't get what you want, but maybe you will. You'll never know unless you take a chance on making it a reality.

Says Amelia of her bold move on Valentine's Day: "I was really shocked to later find a card in my locker explaining that he has liked me since first grade! We've been together ever since. Now I always think of the best that could possibly happen, not the worst, because you could wind up with your best-case scenario-but only if you go for it."

4. YOU MIGHT JUST GET MORE THAN YOU EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE.

We've talked about the fear of taking a risk, like the heart-racing terror Kaitlyn felt before she jumped off that 40-foot platform or the major case of jitters Cortine felt when going for that audition.

But sometimes, the word "risk" and "fear" are synonymous. What you are risking is your fear. Like, say, fear of not getting what you want or fear of falling on your face. You've heard the phrase "What's the risk?" In other words, what is at stake? What's the price tag for taking the chance to get what you want.

The risk in trying out for choir? Not making it. The risk in asking a guy out? Maybe feeling embarrassed for a few secs if he doesn't take you up on your offer for two Foo Fighters tix.

You have to understand that these stakes are not exactly earth-shattering. "I tried out for every sports team a freshman could try out for and was cut in the first round every time," explains Fiona, 14. "I'm little, and my school is filled with tons of girls who are way more athletically built than I am. The coaches were always real sorry and would say stuff like, 'You're just not a jock, Fiona.' Then, tryouts came up for JV cheerleading. I felt like the cursed trier-outer, but I signed up anyway. I threw up right before I went out there, but I did it. Turns out it can be a good thing to be tiny because someone has to crawl on top of the pyramids and stuff. I made it, and it's been the best year of my life."

Moral of the story: The stakes involved in risk are never as high as our minds build them up to be. But the rewards? For just a little bravery, you can have so much! Taking a risk means you get to see how easy it is. It means you get a glimpse of what's really possible when you are true to what you want out of life.

In other words, taking a risk means you get a big, fat dose of confidence because you learn that doing, not seeing, is believing. And confidence is gorgeous! It'll look great on you.

5. YOU GET TO CHANGE YOUR FATE.

"It's always been my goal to get a great high school education so I can go to a good college, even though no one in my family has ever done that," says Heather who, despite being from a rural farming family that barely scrapes by, attends an elite New England prep school packed with future Ivy Leaguers. "Money was the big issue but, between winning an academic scholarship and getting some financial aid, I'm here. It's possible, and all I had to do was try. I'm living my dream."

Some things, like the shape of your eyes or that whistling in your left ear every time you blow your nose, can't be changed. And who cares? But there's plenty of other stuff that too many girls accept as immovable glaciers in life.

For example, you have your moms DNA so maybe you inherited her shape. But that doesn't mean you can't be the hottest kick-boxer around and make that shape a lean, strong version of Mom. Likewise for things like where you grew up, what kind of smarts you "inherited" and so on. For example, you can use your art smarts to become the best sculptor to ever bust out of that hohum hometown.

6. YOU GET TO BE A SUPERHERO.

OK, you don't get to leap tall buildings in a single bound. But taking a risk sometimes feels that way because it's such a rush to become empowered with the confidence that taking smart chances gives you. Risk is energizing! It gives those everyday doldrums a jolt. Just when you think things will never change, take a risk and witness just how different (good different!) they can be.

"My friends and I couldn't find a place to sit at lunch one day, but there was one table with room for us-the popular table," says Sarah, 13. "We looked at each other and worked up the nerve to just sit down and start eating. Then we all started talking to each other and.. .we hit it off! They invited me and my friends to hang out with them at lunch all the time!"

One minute, it's beef-a-roni surprise. Then, the next thing you know, you have a whole new friendship menu to choose from. Just for being brave. How many times can we say it?

7. YOU GET TO WIN BY FAILING.

If you try something and fail, what's the worst that can happen? In risk, it's that fear maximized to the zillionth degree when it all comes crumbling down around you. You didn't win the essay Contest--now what do you do? Truthfully, nothing. OK, maybe you whip out a Dust-Buster and suck up those crumbs of failure. Fear of failure is a bonafide force but, fall just once, and you'll see that failing is not the end of the world.

"I finally got the nerve to ask this really cute guy friend of mine to our spring dance," says Erica. 15. "He said maybe he'd go. But then he told someone else, 'Yeah, right! Like I would ever go out with her.' I was so embarrassed. I didn't talk to him for a week. Later, I found out he liked my best friend. As it turns out, he's so right for her. So, yes, it was temporarily horrible, but it's not like I really lost anything because I never had him to begin with."

The other thing about failing? It's a fabulous education in how to get it right the next time. "I thought him rejecting me would be the talk of school, but it wasn't," says Erica. "People are worried about their own lives, not mine. It was really no big deal, and now I'm not scared to ask out guys.

ONE LAST LEAP OF FAITH.

The more you believe what's been said here, the closer you are to taking right-on risks. At first, you'll be tempted to overthink, maybe weigh those fears a little too much. So here's one more trick to nudge you into going for it: Think of risk as a fence you're just nuts to get over.

The fence might feel like it's way too high, like you just can't do it because of random reason X or random reason Y. But you inch closer by concentrating on all the good stuff--those awesome rewards--and you realize it's not all that high of a fence if you could just get a running start. In fact, you can see over the silly thing... no problem.

So you decide to take the risk, and you leap, forgetting the fears, and... disco! You're there! And if you don't stick the landing? It's just a little dirt to dust off. Because you've made it to the other side of that fence. You now know your boundaries aren't so scary or limited because you did it. And that feels so good. We're not too shameless to say we told you so.

RELATED ARTICLE: 3 reasons not to risk it!

1 It's dangerous.

We're not into slapping hands, but some risks a girl might be tempted to take are just flat-out wrong. Cutting school, doing drugs, drinking, breaking the law, going behind a parent's back to do something you know you're not supposed to do...these are dangerous, unacceptable behaviors. Taking chances with these risks won't test your boundaries-it will only hurt you. Never do anything that would cause you to lose your self-respect.. or a limb or, say, your freedom from detention hail. You know the duff between right and wrong. So use your brain to your advantage.

2 It's not YOUR risk.

Risks that aren't your own can come from a parent, a coach or lots of times, friends. While it's great to spread your wings, taking a chance for someone other than yourself often has limited success. Why? In order to take successful risks, your whole heart has to be in it. Otherwise, you're just going through the motions. Or, in the case of Lisa, 13, going through the motions out of synch with the rest of the squad. "My mother was so into me going for the dance team, and I wasn't exactly all for it," remembers Lisa. "But I did it, and I hated it because I'm the most uncoordinated person in the world. The whole experience sucked and, no, I didn't learn a thing about "putting myself out there."' Bottom line? Decide for yourself, and risk accordingly. Unless it's something you care about, the risk might not be worth the "reward."

3 It's the wrong motive.

Your reason for taking a risk is, possibly, the biggest part of the deal. If the motive isn't true to you, it's a deal-breaker, and your risk is likely to backfire. "Because I thought I wanted to be popular, I put my friendship with my BFFs on the line," explains Lauren, 14. "At the start of this school year, I took a chance and made friends with some popular girls. The popular girls were nice, but they didn't know me all that well and didn't make me as happy as my other friends did. Then I realized I had turned my back on my true friends-and for all the wrong reasons." Lauren's mistake? She did not really want to be friends with the 'in' crowd-she simply wanted to be popular. Her motive was wrong, so the outcome became her worst-case scenario. But, lucky for Lauren, she has cool BFFs who forgave her temporary lapse in good judgment.