But taking a risk does not mean blindly jumping into something you know nothing about. There's a positive value placed on being someone who dares to try the unknown, but that affirmation does not include doing anything foolish. Being a risk-taker does not mean you should jump off a bridge or jeopardize your professional life.

Caution is advised, even for risk-takers. You have to analyze the factors, weigh the pros and cons and proceed carefully before you take that big leap. Sometimes, the bravest thing to do is not to take the risk at all.

Birckhead continued working in corporate training for 10 years-and then she took her biggest risk. "The company I was working for was in upheaval. I was tired of working for other people and also tired of their dictating my success," says Birckhead, a member of the National Association for Women in Careers and Business and Professional Women.