YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT RISK

~ Risk gives you an opportunity to open up to your talents, interests, abilities and dreams.
~ Risk teaches you to set clear goals and follow through.
~ Risk allows you to feel powerful and proactive, making things happen rather than waiting for them to happen to you.
~ Risk opens you up to new ideas, skills, opportunities and experiences.
~ Risk allows you to grow and discover new things about yourself and the world, to develop your strengths and talents.
~ Risk allows you to conquer your fears.
~ Risk is exhilarating. It makes you come alive.

~ Take calculated risks rather than foolish ones. Sure, they both take courage, but closing your eyes and jumping without looking where you're going is simply reckless. You need to plan and go in with your eyes open.
~ Project forward. In your mind or on paper, play out your plan. What are the potential risks? How can you prepare for them? Is there a Plan B that would give you the desired results with less risk?
~ Analyze the risk. What are the specific risks involved, and how can you minimize them? What information can you gather that will help you be better prepared? If it's a financial risk (and it always seems to boil down to that somehow, doesn't it), how can you create a buffer for yourself, such as having a year's income in the bank to fall back on?
~ Consider the timing. Your risk may be less risky with 1, 5 or even 10 years of preparation. Save money, learn skills, research, set the stage for your eventual leap. You can relieve the frustration of not actively pursuing your goal (yet) by taking steps toward it on an ongoing basis.
~ Look at the worst-case scenario. What is the worst thing that could happen if you take this risk? Is it likely to happen? If so, is there a way to modify your plan or acquire additional knowledge or resources to minimize the risk? If not, are you willing (and does it make sense) to go for it knowing the worst?
~ Look at what it's costing you to not take this risk. You may be protecting your security and maintaining the status quo, but it may be costing you your health, your relationships, your creativity, your happiness and fulfillment, your sense of aliveness.
~ There are times when you need to take a risk to be true to who you are. Is taking this risk in line with your highest values and priorities? Is not taking this risk a threat to your integrity? There are also times in your life when security or other responsibilities take precedence, such as when you need to provide for your family. In a case like that, you may postpone the risk and prepare for the time when you're ready to make your break.
~ Look before you leap. Do your research, and gather all the information you can before jumping in. Do a trial run (for example, do a "virtual portfolio" for a potential investment to see how it does over time) and see how you handle the ups and downs. Talk to others who have taken this or a similar risk. How did they do? What mistakes did they make? What did they do right?
~ Honor your level of risk tolerance. You need to have some sense that you can handle the challenges you're giving yourself. Some people can tolerate more risk than others. If you bite off too much, you're likely to end up sabotaging yourself. Start small, and build up your risk "muscle." Be honest with yourself about how much you can handle, and don't try to compete with your colleagues who have a higher tolerance. Do what *you* can do, and make peace with that.
~ What would this risk be worth to you even if you fail? Your risk may be an opportunity to explore your creativity, acquire new artistic and personal skills, build credentials and prestige, make new contacts, broaden your horizons and learn a lot. And there's a certain satisfaction in knowing that you went for your dream, whether you achieve it or not. Regret at never trying can be harder to live with than trying and failing. And what you learn may lead to an even bigger dream that you couldn't even see before.
~ Stay awake and keep your eye on the progress of your endeavor. When things get difficult, when your plans don't go as expected, when the bills start piling up or your investment starts losing money, there's a strong temptation to bury your head in the sand and just focus on the fun parts. By doing this, you may create even greater problems for yourself when you might have bailed yourself out by taking action sooner.
~ Don't risk everything unless you know can handle it. Trading stocks on the Internet, for example, has become an intriguing pastime. It's exciting to make a killer day trade, but it also makes it easier to lose a lot of money quickly. Since you're not actually handling cash, it feels unreal, like Monopoly money. You can lose it all in the blink of an eye. Are you prepared to do that?
~ Learn what you need to learn. Many artists striking out on their own know a lot about their craft, but little or nothing about financing and running a business. Read books. Hire experienced professionals to help you.
~ Don't feel you have to go it alone. Get help. Find partners, supporters and "strategic alliances." You may find someone else with a similar goal who's willing to pool skills and resources. You may have fans or supporters of your work who are willing to help with promotion or offer other services pro bono to help you get started. You may know a friend or colleague with a compatible, but noncompetitive business who's willing to share office or studio space and do cooperative advertising.
~ Don't let past mistakes or failures stop you. You're not the same person. You've learned from those mistakes and have greater strength and resources than you did in the past.
~ Don't make excuses. When you're up against a challenge, you're going to find lots of reasons not to do it. Evaluate which ones are real and handle them, and which ones are excuses and eliminate them.
~ Even with the "rightest" risk, be prepared to face challenges. And give it time. Staying excited about your goal will give you the impetus to plunge through the obstacles.
~ Don't overlook the obvious. If there's an obstacle staring you in the face, address it. It's likely that you can overcome it, but if you ignore it, it'll undoubtedly show up to haunt you later.
~ Be clear on your objectives, the results you want. What would be a good outcome for you? A bad one? An unacceptable risk? Temper the risk accordingly. Don't throw all your eggs in the basket, at least not all at once, if you can help it.
~ Ultimately, does it feel right to take this risk? Sometimes, your "gut" leads you into doing something that doesn't seem to make sense, but succeeds smashingly, or something that seems to be an end in itself, but turns out to be a stepping stone to a bigger goal that you couldn't foresee. Even a failure in the short-term can lead to a greater success in the long-term. Many successful entrepreneurs are veterans of failed businesses.