Learn to Leap

"Sometimes it's worth abandoning the security your current situation gives you and taking a leap of faith, to create the life you really want," says Domonique Bertolucci, Sydney-based personal coach and author of Your Best Life .

• Break it down

Just because you've decided to do a major life overhaul, there's no need to rush in and do it all at once. "It's perfectly OK to start with smaller changes and move towards your dreams step-by-step, " Bertolucci says. "Ask yourself, 'What can I do to take me 10 per cent closer to my ideal life/job/career?' When you've conquered that change, move forward another 10per cent and so on, until you're living the life you want."

• Feel the Fear

"By far the biggest thing that gets in the way of people taking risks is fear - fear of failure, rejection, even fear of success," says Bertolucci. "Instead of wasting energy analysing these fears, simply acknowledge them and carry on regardless."

• Celebrate!

Rejoice in your success. If you don't keep up the positive thinking, making changes will become too much like hard work, you'll lose motivation and give up. you have to give yourself credit and have fun when you accomplish something.

Bertolucci suggests putting inspirational words or pictures above your desk at work. "One of the simplest ways to build confidence is to create powerful affirmations, " she says. An affirmation is simply a positive statement that you repeat to yourself at regular intervals. Examples: "I am confident in my future", The greatest tragedy in life is to risk nothing."

Stephanie Hope and Glynis Horning
Cosmopolitan, August 2006