For many people making changes gets harder once they are niched in careers and the place they live. Inertia sets in in adulthood. Are you as open to change now in your 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, or 70s as you were in your 20s?

To make a big change–a move, a career or job change, a relationship change (leaving a relationship, deciding you want one, or even committing to being OK with being single)–requires effort and moving through fear.

After talking with a client about the possibility of making a scary change (taking a job in another city), and reflecting on my own life (which has been full of leaps) it seems to me there is a key ingredient in the decision to move out of the comfort zone and risk trying something new.

You have to ask yourself what makes you excited/engaged enough about the possibility on the other side to get through the fear, work and pain of change. The why, really. The why that would make you feel good and even excited.

What gives you a tingly feeling in your body, or even a calm glow of happiness when you think about the possibilities on the other side of the change? You have to anchor into those feelings to move through the fear and stuckness that can set in in the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and beyond.

Decisions may take time so keep asking yourself if you can access that feeling of excitement or happy calm as you consider the leap. Fears may grow, circumstances may change, but keep checking, Is there a core of good feeling about the possibilities that lie around the curve?