On a scale of 1 to 10, how excited were you about going to work this morning?

7 or less? Then you’re probably not looking forward to the prospect of another year in the same job.

But despite your best intentions to get out of your career rut in 2016, you’ll most probably find yourself in the exact same spot as you are today. And the reason why?

Fear

Fear is a completely natural emotion, especially when you’re seeking a move to a new job. But it’s also holding you back from achieving your full potential and keeping you in a position that’s sapping your enthusiasm and basically making you miserable.

Here’s a few examples of how fear can cripple your career aspirations – I’m sure that you’ll recognise a few of them:

Fear of the unknown: “What if I can’t find any job that I actually like?”

Fear of failure: “What if I try something new and I’m no good at it?”

Fears surrounding money: “What if my new job doesn’t work out and I end up unemployed?”

It’s these fears amongst others that are keeping you stuck in the same situation. But there are things you can do to face those fears and use them to drive you to make a change to your current career situation.

Face fear head on by make a list of exactly what’s bothering you the most about the prospect of a career move. Fear gains momentum when we leave it undefined, so by recognising and physically writing down the issue you’ve taken a good first step towards tackling the problem.

Now think of the smartest person you know. If they were sitting I front of you at this very moment with the same concerns, what advice would you give them? Many of us suffer from Alice in Wonderland Syndrome (I give myself very good advice, but I seldom often take it) when we’re scared, maybe now is the time to start listening to yourself.

Next, seek out the advice of a mentor or trusted friend and show them your list. Voice your concerns and talk things through to gain another perspective and take on board the advice you receive.

Keep following the two steps above until you’ve worked through your entire list and you can look back at the things that are bothering you until they no longer seems quite so scary.

Now you’ve given fear the push it’s time to start on your action plan for finding a job that will make you spring out of bed each morning ready to face the working day with gusto.

You can do it! Good luck!

• Emma