FEELING the FEAR and DOING it ANYWAY

I like Fiona Harolds metaphor of 'packing a parachute' to face your fear and do it anyway http://www.fionaharrold.com/articles/feelfear.html

So how would this translate to you as an IT Professional thinking about LEAVING the safe, supportive, familiar surrounds of a career in large corporate for the less familiar more unstable uncertain career as an IT Contractor?

What is your 'precipice'?
What is the dark gaping hole you see looking out.. that you feel you will have you into freefall the moment you step off? What jagged rocks do you see down below? (or is it too dark? too far down to make anything out clearly enough?)

What is the parachute you have on your back?
It is easy for us to say... recognise that you always have a parachute on your back... but as you would point out its NOT us who are jumping. Still would it make sense to haul yourself back from the trance and entertain at least the possibility of there being a parachute on your back.

So why not check this parachute a little more closely?
If you are having difficulty with this perhaps engage a coach who specialises in IT Contracting.

Jump
However.. we all know we can gaze down... check.. pack.. repack.. until the cows come come home.. There WILL come a point where the ONLY thing left to do is to... jump.

Trust
This is perhaps the hardest thing about jumping... that keeps most in careers that are no longer delivering to their expectation... but keeps them trapped.. because lack of trust stops them in their tracks