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By Khalilah Starks

“I always did something I was a little not ready to do. I think that’s how you grow. When there’s that moment of ‘Wow, I’m not really sure I can do this,’ and you push through those moments, that’s when you have a breakthrough.” – Marissa Mayer, 39 year old CEO of Yahoo

It’s been a long time since I blogged, but I’m excited to be back! When I was thinking about what I wanted to share on my first day back, I came across this quote that really inspired me – “The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it. But, that it’s too low and we reach it.” This really resonated with me because many of us are aiming too low – in life and in our careers. We go after what we think we can get, instead of what we would dream of getting. After all, it’s easy to aim low. You’re almost guaranteed of reaching that goal and it feels good to reach it.

One of the times that we often aim too low is during the job search process. Quite often, we only apply for the jobs that we feel we are qualified for instead of jobs that may initially seem a little too big or high level. Maybe the job requires more experience than you have or maybe it’s a distinguished title that may seem a little intimidating. Either way, we look at the job and decide that it’s too high level and apply to what feels more realistic.

If you’re ready for your next career opportunity, why not make your next move, your best move? Why not reach higher than you’ve ever reached before? What’s the worst that could happen if you apply to that big opportunity that seems out of your league? The worst thing that I can think of is that you don’t get a phone call. Well, so what! But, what if you do get a phone call? I’m here to tell you that it’s possible. I’ve experienced it for myself. I’ve experienced huge leaps in my career that were purely due to me reaching higher!

So today, if you’re searching for a new job, I want you to apply to some jobs that seem out of your league. And, instead of telling yourself why you’re not qualified, start thinking about how you could be qualified. We often underestimate our own talents and it’s quite possible that you’re qualified and don’t even realize it. Give yourself some credit and get ready to sell yourself. I bet that you’ll eventually get a call and you need to be prepared to knock their socks off when you do!

Whatever it is you’ve been reaching for, I want you to reach a little bit higher. Even if you’re an entrepreneur, I want you to reach higher. Set your sights on some really big clients or business partners that seem out of your league. And, don’t worry about rejection. Don’t worry about missing the mark. Worry about what you could possibly miss, by playing it safe. You miss potential for greatness when you aim low. You miss the chance to experience something really big. You miss the chance to grow. You miss the chance to change your life and even your zip code. Yes, I am referring to money. Because with money, you can definitely change your zip code!

My hope for you is that today you aim higher than you’ve ever aimed before and that you ultimately experience success like you’ve never imagined. Have a great day and remember that there’s little growth in playing it safe!