Entrepreneur and now professional life coach Kim Perell provides us with some incidents from her own life; the good, the bad, and the ugly in business terms. She started by working really hard for a larger firm, which eventually closed as markets changed. I’m not sure why she took it so personally, instead of sending out her resumé and taking a few courses. But after a few weeks of weeping and refusing to meet anyone, she was impelled to JUMP and start running her own internet marketing business.

Reasons to jump Obliged to, due to life change Opportunity to improve or change Stuck in a rut and want to change.

If you fit one of these three lines--and you will have at some stage of your life, by leaving school, starting a job or course, or planning to move home, for instance--you can benefit from this inspiring book, Jump: Dare to Do What Scares You in Business and Life.

Some handbooks for life change incorporate diagrams, others cartoons or comical photos. Kim mainly sticks to text. This I find odd, as her career has been internet-based and today’s net is heavy on images. Perhaps Kim narrated the content. She is married with four children and had thought she did not have time to write a book until a friend suggested why not try it now. Narrating would also explain why simple terminology and words are used, making the read quite accessible.

Some standard business steps are incorporated, such as making goals SMART - specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, time-bound. Others are setting out a written plan, specifying dates, and networking with a variety of people. Kim makes sure to stress that you celebrate achieving small goal steps, you block time in your phone calendar as well as a written one, and you must offer help to people in your network as well as ask for help.

I found great interest in the people Kim cites as role models. Stephen King’s first novel Carrie gained thirty rejection letters from publishers.  Authors often find it hard to get a manuscript out the door, let alone accepted. Kim says we need to stop worrying about rejection, accept that success takes time, and keep working. I learned about Illinois senator Tammy Duckworth, who was severely injured in a helicopter crash due to enemy fire. Since she could not be a pilot anymore, she started representing veterans and became the first woman with a disability to be a senator. Believe that you can do something different, says Kim, and break a few glass ceilings if that is what you need to do.

In order for life to get better, something has to change, explains Kim Perell. I would add that really, nobody is interested in making your life better, except you. Kim doesn’t suggest taking courses – she hires people to fill skill gaps. I would recommend studying and practicing to fill those gaps. Study is also a fantastic confidence builder and networking boost. Whatever you choose, JUMP and tell yourself it is better than standing still.