Will the economy make us afraid of coloring outside of our lines?

Late, yesterday, I had a somewhat rare case of anxiety disorder resulting from the fear of losing a major client. It's not that I haven't done excellent work for this client, but I sense that there is an underlying fear that this company doesn't want its employees or contractors to color outside their box.

So, is there a growing trend among us to not push the envelope because of the fear of failure? I hope not. Consider me one of those who will try to continue to use my Crayola Crayons to paint things outside the lines. I know in the Air Force that I was always the guy who didn't follow the status quo, and that resulted in offending some people. Yet, at the same time, I accomplished some major things in my military career, and these are some of the things which impress people who work with me today.

Perhaps, this economy is a good opportunity for risk takers. As more of those adverse to risk hunker down, the ones willing to try new things while not being afraid of failure, will stand out.