SixFigureStart co-founders Connie Thanasoulis-Cerrachio and Caroline Ceniza-Levine

I’ll keep Presco Presco up in case I experiment with some more personal blogging, but for career and business advice, SixFigureStart is the place to find all that, including more quotes.

Maybe you’re not motivated by revenge, but it’s a great attitude to take towards your naysayers (even if you just fantasize and don’t actually rub their faces in your success).

What would be extra delicious to achieve and have your naysayers find out about? Go for THAT.

Even Muhammad Ali had to build self-confidence. Of course, saying it doesn’t just make it so (I’m sure winning some matches helped!). But it’s still a poignant reminder that we have to be our own fiercest advocates. Many times, we are our first advocates.

Do you think you’re great?

If things seem confusing, it probably isn’t because you’re not working hard enough or aren’t smart enough to figure it out. You may just need more time and more patience to allow things to unfold.

How can you be more accepting of confusion, chaos and overwhelm?

Playing it too safe, playing to not lose instead of win, taking too few chances. Many times it’s the things we don’t do that we regret.

Can you use a fear of regret to combat your fear of inaction?

It’s OK not to know what you want to be even when you’re grown up, especially since ideally you don’t stop growing upwards.

It’s also OK to know what you want and change your mind, even after years of doing the other thing.

It’s also OK to know what you want and stick to one thing and be content. For some people the striving is fun, but that doesn’t have to mean you

How can you be more daring, less dull?

When was the last time you mentioned something you were doing or trying, and the listener said, “Wow!”?

When was the last time you reflected on something you did or tried, and you said “Wow!”?

This is a great reminder about the value of experimentation. When you experiment, things will go wrong but that’s part of the process on the way of getting new things right.

If you cling to just one right way, you may miss a better process or a better option altogether.

Where can you try something new and introduce more experimentation?

In How The Fierce Handle Fear, an anthology of 22 essays on fear, I contributed an essay on fear and career change. Naturally fearful and risk-averse, I overcame my fear of the change by keeping my eye on the vision of it. That vision of what could be, that hope of a more fulfilling path became stronger than my fear of the obstacles and potential consequences.

What is your powerful, driving vision that is more important than your fear?

Do you put yourself out there?

On the career front, this includes:

• getting published;
• getting media mentions;
• speaking at a conference;
• maintaining an active online presence;
• maintaining a diverse network; and
• building up relationships with executives, investors, and recruiters.

Which activities do you proactively pursue?