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BBC RADIO OXFORD
‘Taking Risks and Making Changes’
Jenny Gould on the afternoon show
IS THERE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO CHANGE BUT IT FEELS TOO RISKY? Would you like a new career, to start a business, a better social life, to end a relationship, move house, move country, learn a new skill or hobby? Here are a few tips …
• Are you afraid of failing? Failure is part of learning. Be positive, but realistic. What’s the worst that could happen? if doesn’t work out – it’s not the end of the world! No risk - no progress.
• Perfectionism – the impossible goal. Only willing to try if you know it will be perfect? Perfectionism makes us crazy. Forget ‘perfect’.
• What’s holding you back? Are the obstacles real or imagined?
Face your fears - don’t avoid them. Go on, be brave! You have so much more potential than you could ever realise!
• Listen to your body – is this a natural fear of change or a real ‘gut’ feeling? Fear of this kind is more likely to involve lots of mental activity, whereas a gut feeling is exactly that – a horrible heavy feeling in your gut. If it’s the latter – go with it!
• Negative beliefs - challenge that little gremlin whispering in your ear. He likes things to stay as they are! Don’t listen!
• We have more control than we think. Remember the famous prayer: ‘God give me the serenity to accept things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference’
• There are no certainties, no absolute guarantees in life. Things are constantly changing – don’t be paralysed by indecision.
• What do YOU want – are you thinking ‘I should’, ‘I ought to, ‘I have to’..? Is this what someone else wants? Who’s in the driving seat?
• Break goals down into small steps – make a plan. What can you do next week towards that goal?
• Get all the information you can. Talk to people who can help you. And ask 3 people you can trust what they think you should do.
• Write down what you want in vivid detail and imagine it often.
• Write down the advantages and the disadvantages… both for the short term and the long term
• Imagine you’ve done it. On a scale of 1-10 for each option, how does it feel?
• Look ahead. Imagine you don’t do this – how will you feel in 5 years time? They say we’re most likely to regret the things we didn’t do!