We can choose to let fear be a noose around our neck, holding our breath through life. We can choose to hold onto what we believe we can control, saying no to experiences that may seem risky. We can choose to be satisfied, but less than passionate. Or we can choose to cut the cord.

Life's commas are just like the ones we got used to during those mundane classroom lessons. They are a time to pause, reflect, catch our breath then move on. They aren't the end.

Do you have many dreams you'd like to make come true? If there's so much you want to do but in reality, so little time to do it, the feeling of overwhelm itself can actually hold you back from accomplishing any of your major goals.

In his wildly popular 2006 TED talk, Sir Ken Robinson defined creativity as "the process of having original ideas that have value." Aside from being wonderfully succinct, this definition implies that any creative enterprise requires two key phases.

Joy management has worked for me for several years and it has helped many of my clients. It's free, it's flexible and you can tweak it any way to Sunday to make it work for you. If you stick with it, you will discover the blend of things that helps you manage your joy.

You can discard the beliefs that aren't helpful anymore, and rework others so that they propel you toward your greatest dreams. In the short run, you can also choose beliefs that will leave you feeling better, happier, more peaceful.

When an organization (or an individual) makes a big, expensive and embarrassing mistake, it attracts loads of attention. But do you know what almost never attracts the attention it deserves? When things go the way they are supposed to.

The reality stung for a moment. But then... I felt liberated. After all, if I couldn't be the best runner around, then I could just focus on being the best runner I could be. Knowing and accepting I'd never be the best at it actually made me free.

Often we are so focused on achieving a particular goal that we don't even see the greater possibilities that come into our life. We sidestep them thinking them to be unrelated or trivial to our mission, when in reality, they offer the very insight or opportunity we need to succeed on our primary path.

Choosing a career path (or changing one) is, for most of us, a confusing and anxiety-riddled experience. Many will tell you to "follow your passion" or "do what you love," but like Cal Newport argues in So Good They Can't Ignore You, this is not very useful advice.

Put very simply, when you are following your heart and doing what you love to do, it's not called work. Keep your purpose at the forefront and connect each and every action to that purpose.

We are often focused on consequences right now. Thinking of how something will impact us beyond the present moment helps put the risk into perspective. Many times you will find that a setback won't matter a year from now -- or even next week. So why not take a chance?

Success comes in all forms, whether it be how you did on a test, a work project, closing a sale, losing weight, quitting smoking or another addicti...

How can you learn to embrace risk for the sake of your future happiness, particularly when risk taking doesn't come to you naturally? When you think about making a change, focus only on what you have to gain, and banish all thoughts of what you might lose.

This revelation sparked a sea change in my thinking and caused me to completely recalibrate my understanding of the world's pecking order. All of a sudden the playing field was level and I felt that I had a right to be in the game if I had faith in myself -- regardless of my roots.