The New Year is right around the corner. I love this time of year but not for the reasons you might think. I’m not a resolution maker. I believe that when you feel the need to make a change that’s the very moment change should begin. Why wait  until tomorrow or until January 1st?

However, I can understand the other big reason people love the New Year. It’s an opportunity to start fresh and hopefully not make the same mistakes made the year before. Most people look forward to wiping the slate clean and starting over and to be sure there is value in that, tremendous value.

Yet, I like this time of year because it always feels like an invitation to take a risk.

Like turning 30, or 40, 50 or 60, milestones are an opportunity to assess if you’re doing enough to achieve your dreams and of course taking steps to achieve your dreams involves risk.

Risk of failure, risk of rejection, risk of ridicule and laughter, and well I won’t go on because with risk comes reward and that’s more fun to talk about! It’s more fun to think about and it is way more fun to plan for. (Yes, you can plan for risk and you probably should.)

Why Take Risks?

Why not? When you take a risk you just might succeed. You might receive the acclaim you’ve worked so hard for. You might gain the acceptance, praise, and accolades you’ve dreamed of. You might publish that book, make money, and gasp…write another book and make more money! It is possible but it takes a willingness to accept and perhaps relish risk.

So as the New Year rings in and you take your first breath in 2012 ask yourself this one question, “What am I willing to risk to achieve my writing dreams?”