When you’re thinking about taking a big career risk, it’s easy to be discouraged by fear. If you’re considering launching a business, making a big career change or taking a leap of faith to engage your passion, it’s natural to have concerns and hesitations related to uncertainty.

Since you don’t know the end result, taking risks is intimidating. Although if you genuinely want to make a better life for yourself, you must get over your fear.

The truth is, a small number of people are extremely lucky and get what they want to do in life without much effort. The rest of us unfortunately don’t have amazing opportunities and dream jobs falling into our laps. We have to take big chances and work extremely hard to achieve true career satisfaction.

If you’re ready to take a risk in pursuit of greater career and life satisfaction, consider the following tips.

Identify what you truly want

Before you start heading down the path of big risk, you need to figure out your ultimate goal. Changing careers or starting a business because you hate your boss isn’t a goal, although it might be a reason to get a new job in your field. You should be taking these risks out of ambition, not frustration.

Whether it’s more independence, engaging your passion or any other goal, identifying an objective can help you figure out a path forward that includes benchmarks and smaller objectives.

Figure out your risk-reward

A lot of the concern around risk taking is linked to worrying about a worst-case scenario. Considering what could happen if it all went wrong isn’t just a responsible thing to do, it’s also a good exercise that can ease your concerns and put things in perspective. It’s also important to consider the upside and determine if it’s worth taking the risk.

For instance, if you have a wife and kids, moving to China to teach English for a meager salary probably isn’t a risk worth taking. On the other hand, if you’re single and don’t have children, that might be something worth considering.

List your steps along the way

You can make big plans much less intimidating by breaking them up into small, bite-size chunks. If you’re looking to change careers, steps might include going to school, getting an internship and networking in the field. Those looking to start a business will have to figure out a business plan and finances.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, as the saying goes.

Embrace patience and self-belief

Unless you’re extremely lucky, there will be low points during your career risk. Being patient and believing in yourself can help you power through these emotional troughs and stay on track to your main objective.

Talking with others in your field and tapping into your support network can go a long way to giving you’re the support you need.

Work with a top supply chain recruiter today

At ZDA, we have years of experience helping ambitious professionals take smart career risks. If you’re currently looking to make a big career move, contact one of our top supply chain recruiters today.

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