3 Tips for Successfully Taking a Big Bold Step

A little bird sits in a tree and you wonder how it can be so calm. Even though the bird is tiny, the branch seems hardly big enough to support it. If you look closely you may even see the strain on the branch caused by the birds weight. But the bird does not look stressed. The bird knows beyond a shadow of a doubt that it can trust itself to do what needs to be done in a "worse case" scenario. It isn't the limb that it has faith in - she has faith in her own ability.

Deciding to raise a child on my own and plunge into uncertainty was a giant leap for me. I didn't have the financial means or resources to do it but it needed to be done. What I did have is faith - in a higher power and in myself. 

I meet many people who are disgruntled with life and yearn to take a big step. The unknown  is fearful. I get why people wait until they "must" before taking that step. But waiting until you "must" often takes a toll on internal resources. Not having the external resources to make a shift is bad enough but when you start to deteriorate the internal resources, you may be creating a deficit. It's hard to hit the road running in a deficit situation.

I'd offer these three pieces of advice for anyone thinking of making major change in their lives:

1. Learn from others. We have learned valuable lessons along the way that we will gladly share with others. Don't reinvent the wheel each time you do something.

2. Get your fear under control. Fear of being homeless is one of the biggest fears that people face - next to public speaking. When you drill it down, the fear has no real basis. The journey from where you are to being homeless is a long way off. Likely you are the type of person that will also do what it takes to ensure that doesn't happen. People who take bold action are made of pretty impressive stuff.

3. Prepare. Get ready for the big move. For example, if you're stuck in a place that you don't want to be in and income is a concern, don't overextend yourself so that you're depending on that income. That's self sabotage. Think about it. 

An extra nugget is this - there's nothing as sweet as steering your own ship.