As this tumultuous year comes to a close I wanted to share some recent lessons I learned that are very important if you are anticipating any kind of transition in 2009. If you are serious about wanting to upgrade your life, do work you love, and finally live a life of purpose you must be willing to do a few key things:

1. You must be willing to take risks.

I recently made some pretty big financial investments that I know will help me take my business to new heights in 2009.

I can tell you though that until recently I wasn't willing to invest in my business in such a big way because it truly meant spending money before I had it.

I realized though that in order to have the money in the first place I needed to be willing to risk it and go for the gold even though I had no guarantee. You see in my heart I knew it was the right decision, I knew my business and I were meant to grow.

So I asked myself if I knew in advance that I was going to be successful, what would I be willing to do to make it happen. The answer was clear - I'd do whatever it took to make it happen. I would go for it and take the risk - despite the economy!

T.S. Elliot said it best:
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go."

2. You must take action no matter how scared you are.

I have found myself stuck on many occasions during my transition from Corporate America to the world of entrepreneurship.

I was either lost in my search for the right career, confused and scared about being in business for myself, or frightened to face the facts about what I needed to do to really live my dream of helping others (like you!) find their purpose so they could do work they love while providing for my family and being at home with them.

Each and every time I was stuck and scared the only thing that would create results and greatly reduce the fear has been action.

Anytime I took my fear and asked myself, "Ok, if I could take one great step to address this concern, what would it be?" and then actually took the step, I made tremendous progress AND had a huge weight lifted off my shoulders. I'm constantly learning that fear is normal and is there to spur me into action. Same is true for you. See fear as the kick you need to get going.

3. You must surround yourself with like-minded people.

I recently had lunch with two great friends who also run their own businesses. Just being around them and their amazing energy reminded me of how grateful I am to have them in my life and how important it is to be a part of a community of people who support you and want to go where you are going (or are already there). It feels fantastic to connect with others who can relate to my experiences and inspire me to keep growing.

I also had a conversation with my best friend about how scared I was feeling now that I had taken these huge risks. She reminded me that this wasn't the first time she heard me express fear like this and everything ALWAYS worked out in the past.

How lucky I am to have such a great friend! What a relief it was to hear her say this since of course I didn't remember any of this. Who do you have supporting you in your life?

There are more factors influencing success when you are in transition but these three lessons are non-negotiable when it comes to making a lasting change.

Copyright© 2003-2008 Annemarie Segaric. All rights reserved.