Just a few decades ago, it was common for someone who stayed at the same company to be given a gold watch or some other gift to mark a special anniversary or retirement after 40 or 50 years on the job. However, those ceremonies are getting rarer and rarer as the world continues to change and diversify. While some may think it’s a shame that recognition isn’t the professional norm these days, others know the world offers more opportunity than ever. They also understand that the person who stays at a job they’ve long outgrown just for a paycheck is selling themselves short.

 A paycheck is security and safety; it allows you to have a certain lifestyle. While not forever guaranteed, a paycheck is the most consistent, reliable resource of income in your life. Many people will take that biweekly piece of paper over the risk of going to another company or taking the bigger risk of starting something of their own.

Many can simply stay where they are, almost blindly, while others, even though they appreciate the consistent income, sense they are capable of much more. They know that they have hit the ceiling of growth and want more. They’re not afraid of the future, but they feel like they don’t know how to move beyond where they are now.

 Here are some tips to help you make a transition from one professional opportunity to another:

1. Save Money

If you find yourself in a situation where you are between jobs, do you have enough money saved to get through the dry patch? Figure out what your bare bones expenses are for a month, then add 20% to it. Whatever that total is, multiply it by three. Having that much money in savings should get your through that time of change and help reduce anxiety.

2. Always Be Interviewing 

In the world of sales, ABC means “Always Be Closing,” but everybody should live the professional life of ABI: Always Be Interviewing. There is an art not only to being interviewed for a job, but to asking the right questions to find out if you think a potential employer is a good fit. The more you practice interviews, the better you will get with them so when that perfect opportunity comes along, you’ll be in top form.

 3. Be Open to New Things 

Millions of students around the world are entering college this year and will be graduating to take jobs in four or five years that don’t exist today. Whether you are a student or an experienced professional, keep your options open. You may have a skill set or have an interest in an area that is just starting to take off, but you don’t realize it. Expand your net wide and think outside of the box when it comes to your next steps.

 4. Think Two or Three Jobs Ahead 

One of the things that holds people back from making changes is that they can’t just slide into the job they’d like to have. Let’s say you want to own a restaurant, but you’ve never worked in food service. It’s unlikely you’ll succeed if you just open a restaurant. Instead, if you’ve got management experience, get a job as an assistant manager at a restaurant. Then, eventually transition into a general manager position. Eventually, you’ll know the ins and outs of the industry and be ready to make the leap.

5. Ignore the Naysayers 

Follow what your heart and mind is prodding you to do. Friends at your current job won’t want you to leave, management doesn’t want the hassle of training a new person, your partner doesn’t want the financial risk, and there are probably others who simply think you’ll fail. Let them make their own decisions. You have one life to live, and it’s all yours.