By Mame Kwayie

I was the kind of tired that coffee couldn’t cure. I’d browned my teeth trying. I was past the point of a vacation and past a feigned sick day to recover from burnout. I’d changed my hair too many times to make a difference, rearranged my home furniture and hung too many new pictures in my office for it to count. And taking a new route to work every day doesn’t do much to enliven your outlook. Forget what ya heard.

I knew a change would do me good. A big one, at that. I was two and a half years past my college graduation and that many years into a career. Somehow, I’d gone from intern to senior manager, complete with an assistant, an office, and an expense account. I’d made it, right?

The problem? I’d known for a while that I’d outgrown this ostensibly golden professional life. While I’d fulfilled my teenage dream of being some kind of corporate wunderkind, I finally understood what people meant when they used that oft-recited and very apt phrase of “I needed a change.” Over a year later, I’m tapping into my younger self, the self so fearless, faithful, and full of so many dreams that even all my grown-woman practicality couldn’t knock sense into her. I moved to a new city, entered a graduate school program, and made a shift in my career.

Is your golden dream hanging above your head? Know what you need to do, just not sure how? Whether you’re looking to move to a new city, start a new business, or go back to school, understand that it’s possible. As with nearly everything nowadays, there’s an adage for this, too: Leap and the net will appear. Here are a few things I’ve learned during my leap.