Success doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen.

What makes some people more successful than others? Or a better question might be, why aren’t more people professionally successful?

They may lack the Courage it takes to grab at opportunities. Courage and your career are inextricably linked.

1. If you have the Courage to take a chance and step out of your comfort zone you will learn more, be more visible, and provide more value to your employer, your clients, and your friends. Volunteer for new projects, think of new ways to solve persistent problems, raise your hand more often in meetings and conferences, put yourself out there more often professionally and personally.

2. If you have the Courage to fail you will expose yourself to many more opportunities as well as add more skills to your arsenal. Failing provides you with the opportunity to learn from your mistakes. These lessons will add to your success rate building confidence along the way. And with greater confidence you can take on greater challenges more often and with greater ease.

3. If you have the Courage to take responsibility and therefore control over your career you are better able to set higher goals and attain them. Taking responsibility and control means having a realistic appraisal of who you are, where you are strong, where you need work, where you want to be in 5 or 10 years, and then following through on how to get there. Stay on a constant learning curve, grow your professional network, and make a plan.

4. If you have the Courage to ask for help the chances are greater that you will succeed in whatever you do. Realize that you can’t do it all alone. Help can take the form of creating a team for a project rather than trying to go it alone, finding mentors who can provide honest feedback and valuable support and knowledge, sponsors who can help open doors and provide direction, and coaches who can provide valuable tools for navigating your career.

5. If you have the Courage to help others without feeling personally threatened or afraid of “giving it away” you will build positive and rewarding relationships – a strong foundation for successful leaders.

6. If you have the Courage to be yourself and not who you think you should be, you will be more authentic, more likeable, and a lot happier.

So be courageous and make success happen.

Mary Rosenbaum is a Master Certified Personal Branding Strategist and Career Management Coach who works with professionals and entrepreneurs. Equipped with an MBA in Finance and with over 25 years of experience as an entrepreneur and a career professional and 10 years in business and finance, Mary helps clients define goals, identify and highlight relevant talents and skills, and ensure that past achievements connect directly with future rewards. Success is defined as clarity of vision, differentiation from competitors, and the visibility and credibility necessary to capitalize on opportunities. For more information email email hidden; JavaScript is required