Have you been giving more thought to your career choice lately? When things slow down and there's more time to think, new ideas (or old ones that were buried) have a chance to bubble up to the surface.

In our regular busy lives we often dismiss these thoughts, never giving them any serious consideration. But now that we've stepped away from our regular routine these thoughts might be getting louder. Are you experiencing this? If you are, I want to warn you of a dirty trick your brain may try to play on you.

The trick is fear in the form of worry (and possibly many other forms, but that's a topic for another article). Worry will tell you the new career you're considering might not work out, that you're safer staying right where you are, and that pursuing anything new is too risky. All these thoughts seem reasonable, right?

The truth is that you never had, and never will have, a guarantee that anything will work out. You don't know for sure that you're safer where you are, and you can't predict the risk of a change (not before, not now, and not in the future).

If this seems harsh, it's because it's shocking when you've never looked at it from this perspective. But if you’ll take a few minutes to contemplate it, you'll see the truth in it, and it can set you free.

I'm not suggesting you burn the ship and set off on a new adventure. What I am suggesting is to listen to the voice inside. Spend some time asking yourself good questions like, “What might be my next best move”? Get curious.

Next, take some baby steps toward your new idea. Talk to people, explore options, see what shows up. Then, take the next inspired action. If it feels right, make your move. If it doesn't, you'll have confirmation that you’re in the right place, at least for now.

When you get still and really listen, you get to know who you are and what you really want. This helps you notice when worry is attempting to keep you stuck, and it's how you reduce risk, overcome worry, and live on your own terms.