Smart Women Take Risks: Six Steps for Conquering Your Fears and Making the Leap to Success

Book excerpt: Take the plunge. Come out ahead. There are certain risks you might feel uncomfortable making—but calculated risks are necessary to propel you to new heights in your professional and personal development. Every time you choose security over something new, you’re missing new opportunities—and the chance to live a happier, more fulfilled life. As CEO of Creative Expansions, Inc., Helene Lerner coaches women on how to actualize their potential, increase their self-esteem, and reach their goals. Now, in Smart Women Take Risks, she shares her powerful 6-step program, revealing how you too can take smart, strategic risks born from careful thought and intuition-and create positive change in your professional and personal life. Lerner helps you change your perception about risk-taking, and shows you how to determine whether a risk is a Best Bet, a Not Now, or a No Go. You won't risk blindly; you'll go in with your eyes wide open and commit to a doable goal that lets you move forward confidently without the overpowering fear of failure. Lerner gives you expert tools that will help you: Build and maintain a strong support team-a crucial step for successfully creating change Overcome procrastination, perfectionism, and second-guessing Vocalize your success (yes, it's ok to brag!) Keep your accomplishments “green” by continuing to build on them Apply these risk-taking principles to other areas of your life Lerner shares inspiring stories and tips from women who stepped out of their own comfort zones, took leaps, and moved ahead with faith and confidence. she shows you how to harness the opportunities in your own life--and take risks that will push you to greater heights of success.