Taking Risks

Let Yourself Grow A Little
The smartest people take one look at political office and run the other way. Well, that may be smart, but it doesn't do much good when it comes to changing the world. We end up with leaders who have the power and money and ego required to win an election.
Let Yourself Grow A Little
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Getting Unstuck,
Self-Improvement for Sagittarius,
Doing Something New and Different

Ten Big Tips For Moving To A Small Town
Considering a big move to a small town? Here's what I learned from my own experience. Each small town has a unique personality. Do your research -- and don't stop with the Internet. Talk to people who live there. Ask who stays and who leaves.
Ten Big Tips For Moving To A Small Town
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Setting Goals,
Taking Risks,
Improve Life,
Showing Initiative,
Taking Action,
Getting What You Want,
Self-Improvement for Taurus,
Personal Values,
Deciding What's Important,
Self-Improvement for Cancer,
Creating Your Ideal Home Environment,
Self-Improvement for Scorpio,
Making Changes,
Moving,
Rebuilding,
Self-Improvement for Sagittarius,
Doing Something New and Different,
Changing Your Mind and Perspectives,
Learning from Experience,
Understanding Foreign Ideas and Foreign Cultures,
Self-Improvement for Capricorn,
Growing Older, Concerns about Aging,
Self-Improvement for Aquarius,
Living Life Your Way,
Custom-Designing Your Life,
Creating and Living Your Ideal Life,
New Age Blogs,
The Real Life Lines Blog,
Real Life Stories,
Spiritual Lessons from Real Life,
Words of Wisdom,
Advice for Living

Seven Tips For Moving Without A Job
Do you have fantasies of moving to a new part of the country or even the world? Want to quit your job and start over? Hold on tight to your chair. Force yourself to stay seated until you have an action plan, preferably in writing. Here are seven tips to get started.
Seven Tips For Moving Without A Job
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Setting Goals,
Taking Risks,
Showing Initiative,
Being Independent,
Taking Action,
Self-Improvement for Scorpio,
Making Changes,
Self-Improvement for Sagittarius,
Doing Something New and Different,
Mysticism,
Creating Your Own Reality

How to Manage a Transition Successfully
I work with clients in transition. Some of the transitions are chosen, such as retirement. Others are involuntary transitions such as losing a job or being forced to change careers because of a disability.
We all have a different "set point" for our ability to handle changes. It has to do with our natural temperaments, and also the way change and ambiguity were handled when we were children. Why "ambiguity?" Because more than anything else, transitions involve the unknown.
How to Manage a Transition Successfully
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Taking Action,
Facing Fear,
Self-Improvement for Gemini,
Collecting Facts -- Handling Knowledge,
Using Your Mind Effectively,
Self-Improvement for Scorpio,
Making Changes,
Trauma and Transition,
Coping with Crisis,
Dealing with Adversity,
Rebuilding,
New Age Blogs,
The Self Improvement Blog,
Alternative Health,
Stress Management,
The Reading Room,
Articles by Susan Dunn,
Words of Wisdom,
Managing Life Effectively

Play Small Or Live Out Loud
The famous poem by Marianne Williamson makes me think about how often we bury our aspirations under a bushel of self-doubt, insecurity, fear and procrastination. When we shrink, minimize and deny our strengths, talents and God given abilities, we shortchange ourselves and the world.
All of us are meant to shine our lights into the world in our own unique and magnificent way. It may be pursuing a long held dream, making significant life changes to live your best life now. It may involve taking a risk to achieve a goal. No matter what your dream is, just know that it is YOUR dream and you are the only one who can bring it to fruition.
Play Small or Live Out Loud
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Setting Goals,
Strategies for Success,
Taking Risks,
Self-Improvement for Gemini,
Using Your Mind Effectively,
Self-Improvement for Sagittarius,
Living Your Life Purpose,
Self-Improvement for Capricorn,
How to Succeed in LIfe,
Self-Improvement for Aquarius,
Gaining Your Hopes and Dreams,
Creating and Living Your Ideal Life,
New Age Blogs,
The Self Improvement Blog

Why Nice Guys & Gals Finish Last
There is a difference between a nice guy or gal (henceforth, "guy" will apply to both) and a guy that is kind, respectful, generous, and that gets what he or she wants out of life. Are you tired of being passed up for promotions while doing all the work? Have you heard, "let's just be friends" from romantic interests one too many times?
Do you have time for everyone else with no time for yourself? Do you believe that you can't be a good person AND get ahead in life? Listen, you don't have to be a jerk to get what you want. You also don't have to be a push over. Here are 5 things to consider to finish in first place without sacrificing good nature.
Why Nice Guys & Gals Finish Last
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Self-Assertion,
Qualities of Successful People,
Self-Improvement for Virgo,
Doing a Good Job at Work,
Self-Improvement for Sagittarius,
Meeting Life's Lessons,
Self-Improvement for Capricorn,
How to Succeed in LIfe,
Playing Politics in Business and Life,
New Age Blogs,
The Self Improvement Blog,
Words of Wisdom,
Taking Care of Yourself

Getting Your Power Back
During many years of observing others and myself searching for fulfillment, I've noticed an essential ingredient is often missing. I call this ingredient sovereignty, self-sufficiency or total independence from outside sources. Without this quality in its authentic form, no one I know has been able to achieve the happiness, health and peace they are seeking.
Throughout the years of assisting others and myself to feel truly joyous and free, I've watched people try to ignore, deny, invalidate or rationalize away the importance of sovereignty. I've witnessed friends and clients attempt to fake it, substitute for it, and try to steal and borrow it from others. All these efforts have been in vain. Their time, energy and intention would have been put to better use by focusing on allowing this quality to become a solid, personal reality.
Getting Your Power Back
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Strategies for Success,
Taking Risks,
Courage,
Self-Assertion,
Showing Initiative,
Taking Action,
Qualities of Successful People,
Overcoming Shyness,
Facing Fear,
Self-Improvement for Virgo,
Coping with Your Inner Critic,
Self-Improvement for Capricorn,
Self-Control,
New Age Blogs,
The Self Improvement Blog,
Mysticism,
Conscious Living

Does Fear Control Your Future?
Does fear stop you from striving for something you dream of doing? For some people, fear paralyzes them into inaction and appears as real as their reflection in the mirror. I'm here to tell you that even that reflection isn't always reality. When I talk to clients for the first time who dream of starting their own business, the most prevailing emotion I hear, above that of hope, is fear. This is extremely common. When asked about their fears, they admit that they are afraid that they will fail, that people will laugh at them, that they will not be viewed as credible professionals worthy of attention. There is another fear that can pop up, addressed later.
Does Fear Control Your Future?
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Showing Initiative,
Facing Fear,
Self-Improvement for Virgo,
Coping with Your Inner Critic

Fear Is Nothing To Be Afraid Of
What do you do when fear shows up? Do you hide under the covers of life, shivering as you anxiously wait for the moment to pass or do you stand up with a confident smile and embrace it? Your answer to this simple question will have a considerable impact on the level of freedom, excitement and empowerment you experience on a daily basis. Whatever your response, the thing to remember is that your fears are nothing to be afraid of!
Fear Is Nothing To Be Afraid Of
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Self-Assertion,
Showing Initiative,
Qualities of Successful People,
Overcoming Shyness,
Facing Fear,
Self-Improvement for Cancer,
Working with Emotions,
Coping with Your Inner Critic

Why We Hate to Promote Ourselves
Self=promotion scares people. Getting known by the public scares them. Even thinking about it makes them feel small and inadequate. And yet they know that they must if they want to reach the people they're meant to. So they feel both guilty and annoyed with themselves at the same time.
Why We Hate to Promote Ourselves
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Self-Assertion,
Showing Initiative,
Qualities of Successful People,
Overcoming Shyness,
Coping with Your Inner Critic

Energy is Contagious
Lessons in Courage and Kindness
Decide what version of contagious energy you want to bring into the world and then commit to spreading ONLY this version instead of something else. Practice careful, conscious speech, action and support. Energy is contagious. It is up to you to decide what form of energy you want to spread.
Energy is Contagious
Lessons in Courage and Kindness
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Leadership,
Taking Action,
Qualities of Successful People,
Mysticism,
Conscious Living,
Creating Your Own Reality,
Words of Wisdom,
Advice for Living

The Secret Way to Beat Shyness
Have you ever found yourself in a social gathering and felt intimidated? Maybe the whirlwind of negative thoughts in your head stopped you meeting new people, joining a conversation or participating fully. If only you could take charge of your thoughts. You could have a lot of fun, be yourself and make lots of new friends!
The Secret Way to Beat Shyness
Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries,
Taking Risks,
Building Self-Confidence,
Showing Initiative,
Overcoming Shyness,
Self-Improvement for Virgo,
Coping with Your Inner Critic

It's Time to Get out of the BOX!
In order to live the best life possible for yourself you have to master the skill of moving into the unknown. The unknown is really anything outside of the box that we have created from past experiences, beliefs and ideas. It is where fresh opportunity, excitement and more satisfaction reside. Over and over again in working with new clients we uncover the ways in which they are creating difficulty for themselves by not even seeing the opportunities that are right in front of them "- just slightly outside of their box. Often, they feel frustrated in their efforts and even give up on doing what they love most. In doing this they turn away from what could bring their greatest reward.
It's Time to Get out of the BOX!

Anger Means Your Power is On!
When you feel lost and confused, it is easy to give your power to anyone who appears on your doorstep -- a coach, a counselor, even a good friend or relative. People in transition, who are seeking direction, are especially vulnerable to anyone who offers help. The US government has developed programs to protect newly-bereaved citizens who are vulnerable to claims from funeral services. But if you have let your intuition lie dormant or you have responded passively to events around you, anger is a sign that you are getting your power back. You are turning on the juice. Your intuition is beginning to overpower the wet blankets, the poison darts, and the well-meaning-but-misguided mentors. Recognize, welcome and manage your anger. You are almost certainly ready to take action and experience your own power once again.
Anger Means Your Power is On!

Are You Able To Say Both 'Yes!' And 'No!'?
When it is all said and done, when we delve deeply into our emotions, we almost always find that our strongest and most habitual response is covering up other feelings that we are not fully aware of. We feel hurt, disrespected, abandoned, or sad, and we cover over these feelings and lose touch with them, by expressing anger or resentment instead. When we find ways to tap into our deeper emotions we invariably find that we have been neglecting some form of pain or discomfort. When we neglect or simply don't notice our deeper emotional reactions, we lose the ability to express our full range of emotions. In the process we find that by consistently expressing only one segment of our entire emotional range, we limit our ability to be happy and feel at ease within ourselves and with those that we interact with.
Are You Able To Say Both 'Yes!' And 'No!'?

Go to: Self-Improvement for Aries