• Although settling into your comfort zone may be tempting, it will not put you on track to success. Growing personally and professionally requires you to bolster your risk-taking skills.

• Because world is changing at a rapid and accelerating pace, those who are unwilling or unable to take risks will become ineffective if not obsolete.

• Being nimble and quick to adapt is part of being effective as a risk-taker.

• It's important to let your judgment skills override a reflexive - and likely negative - response to fear of unknown. _________________________________________________

People who consistently perform at a higher level have certain things in common.

They are committed to their success. They have a passion for their profession. They have clear goals. They are comfortable taking well-reasoned risks. Their ability to take thoughtful risks is an important ingredient in their success. It is also a significant determinant in their level of achievement. Top performers are talented and persistent risk-takers.

By contrast, sub-optimal performers often settle into their comfort zone, fall into recurring patterns and stop challenging themselves in significant ways. The good news it that you can improve your risk-taking ability and hence your performance.

I am pretty knowledgeable about successful risk-taking. As a Professional Exhibition Skydiver, I've had to learn how to prepare both intellectually and emotionally to prevail in face of some extraordinary risks. I'm among few who has successfully made one of most challenging stadium jumps in United States into wind-buffeted Candlestick Park. By being willing to take some significant risks, I have been able to earn two skydiving World Records and be among few to ever stand at North Pole.

Skydiving is not only setting where I've found effective risk-taking skills to be valuable. It has also been vitally important in my business career. I had to risk effectively when I was Chief Operating Officer of an international design firm. The same was true when I was responsible for a portfolio of more than $140 million worth of commercial real estate. If I had not been willing to take some significant risks, I would still be someone else's employee instead of working for myself for last eight years.

The Lure of Comfort Zone

The comfort zone is seductive. We all desire comfort. It's human nature. However, too much comfort does not serve us well. An inability to occasionally step out of your comfort zone - to challenge yourself, to leave familiar - will ultimately limit your performance.

Adaptability

Adaptability is vital and becoming more so. Change is pervasive and accelerating. Single-employer careers are nearly history and single-profession careers barely remain.

If you are going to thrive in a world of rapid change, you have to be adept at adapting. The more comfortable you are with taking risks and dealing with resulting fear, better you will be at adapting.

Change can be frightening. It confronts us with unknown. It is common and normal to be fearful of change. Unfortunately, left unresolved, fear response can profoundly limit your performance.

How do we keep fear from controlling us? Trust me: I didn't develop skill in this field solely by earning a skydiving World Record or jumping out of a jet over North Pole--but it helped. Let's start with some background, then weave in a couple adventure stories that illustrate how to face fear and heed your confidence voice.

We know fear is going to be there, and that it will be intensely powerful. It can control us, limit us, and make our decision for us. If we don't deal with it effectively, it can immobilize us.

There are two responses to fear: constructive and destructive. The destructive response goes something like this: We're confronted with a situation that clearly and appropriately justifies fear, but instead we respond with, -I'm not afraid. That doesn't bother me.” Another sign we've invoked destructive response is that we put a barrier between us and fear source. We waste precious time and energy shielding ourselves from fear source. We could instead put this energy toward seeking solutions and resolutions to problem if we could only acknowledge that we are experiencing fear.

The constructive response to fear requires a simple, but often difficult, step. And step is difficult for a perfectly legitimate reason, because it attacks something that is important to all of us – our pride. The constructive response to fear requires us to admit we're afraid. When we admit that we're afraid, even if only to ourselves, when we accept our fear, something very powerful happens. We regain control. We're back making decisions for ourselves. The fear doesn't disappear, but its power over us wanes.

Early in space program, National Aeronautics and Space Administration did a study. They had observed that a certain number of their pilots and astronauts were completing their missions successfully without suffering motion and stress sickness. Another group was consistently having problem. Based on empirical research, NASA found that there was one factor, and one factor alone, that made difference between two groups. The ones who were going through mission without a physical problem were ones who had acknowledged in advance that they were going to be afraid. They had a constructive response to fear.

For all of us, but particularly for people who are achievement oriented, idea of a feeling like fear exerting so much control over them can be hard to accept. The thought that a mere emotion--something that did not spring from their imposing intellect or determined will--could have a significant impact on them is extremely bothersome. To get comfortable with fact that fear doesn't necessarily make sense, yet has tremendous power over us, can be one of most consequential events of our lives.

The process of identifying fear starts with a "feelings inventory.” To get started, sit where there are no distractions. Answer honestly: Are you angry, happy, sad, or afraid? You may feel more than one of emotions, or all of them. Identify source of each of these feelings-the real source. This may sound simplistic, but if you do it with commitment, you will quickly grasp value.