Step Four: Evaluating your new situation

When faced with a new and potentially difficult situation it's tempting to just give up. A big part of living successfully is being able to turn difficult new situations in your favor rather than doing nothing. Usually, doing nothing will make you feel even worse. Imagine that you've climbed halfway up a mountain and considered turning around because it was much harder than expected. If you give up now, you will still have spent your day on the mountain but you'll never get to see the top.

The purpose of Step Four is to help you take stock. In other words; to compare the positive and negative parts of the old and new roles. Review your lists of pros and cons from Step Three and ask yourself honestly if your new change is better (or at least, could become better) than your old role. Talk to people you trust, and remember that the initial uncomfortable feelings that come with change do go away as we adjust to our new roles. You may realize that you've made a mistake by changing and you decide to return to your old situation. You can use these steps to make sure that this life change is the right move for you.