The Top Ten Ways to Take Positive Risks in your Life!

November, 2010

By Craig Nathanson - The Vocational Coach™

Here are the top ten ways to take positive risks in your life (And what will happen if you do)

1. Decide what you want and then define and take the biggest risk you can think of which will move you closer to your goal. (Taking action towards doing what you wanto do is not a risk)

2. Make a step by step plan towards an important goal and define risks you MUST take to move forward. (Living a status quo life will not change any situation for which you are stuck )

3. Ask yourself what is possible and then make a list. (Most people spend too much time pondering what things won't work and as a result justify why taking no actionis the best choice)

4. Take action- do something unusual to create movement towards a goal which is important to you. (Like a set of domino's, all the choices from the past which no longer fit you will fall down)

5. Only strive to accomplish a few really important things each day. (Life isn’t about having the biggest to-do list) but making progress and living a life which is most important to the person living it!)

6. Work to develop the relationships which matter to you. (Don’t be afraid to terminate the relationships which no longer work for you or be afraid to pursue new ones which nourish you)

7. Re-define yourself by WHO you are vs. WHAT you do. (Job titles are for the human resources staff)

8. Define and live your perfect vocational day. (Recreate a life which works better for you vs. one which works better for someelse who really doesn't care about your welfare)

9. Be your own best friend. (Easier said than done since people tend to be their own worst critics)

10. Give yourself permission to take risks in your life. (Otherwise, you will wait a very long time and then wonder later why change took so long)

Taking risks towards what you want in your life is all relevant. What might seem like a big risk to one person might not seem that risky to another. Happiness in life, work and relationships is knowing you were not afraid to try something new in your life when the status quo no longer worked. Take a few risks towards what you want- Your life will be richer from the inside out!

I'll be cheering you on as you go!

Craig Nathanson

Craig Nathanson is the author of "How to find the RIGHT work during challenging times: A new approach to your life and work after 40" and is a coaching expert who works with people over forty.

Visit Craig’s online community where you can take a class, get more ideas through Craig Nathanson’s books and CD’s, get some private coaching over the phone or using skype and webcam and in Craig’s office, or read other stories of mid-life change and renewal.

Craig lives and works in Petaluma, California. His office is located at P.O Box 2823, Petaluma Ca, 94953. You can reach him at 707-775-4020 or at craig@thevocationalcoach.com.

Craig's Vocational Passion Newsletters are edited by Anita Flegg at The Sharp Quill. The Sharp Quill -- www.sharpquill.com -- specializes in writing and editing for small business. You can see Anita's vocational story at http://www.thevocationalcoach.com/_vocational_community/_real_stories/story_anita.html

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