Last week, in a teleclass I gave to 450+ women who wantbreakthrough to a bold plan for more happiness, success and reward,a great question came up: “Kathy, exactly how do we break throughour career inertia?

My answer was simple – 100% commitment. It takescommitting to taking one action each and every day towards what youwant.

Most people don't make change until they're desperately unhappy,or until some form of a crisis hits them. It's universal– people are highly resistant to change, and they fear that thedevil they know is better than the one they don't.

That was me in my corporate career 12 years ago – I just wouldnot take the necessary action until a brutal layoff in the daysfollowing 9/11 pushed me to my knees (see Breakdown, Breakthrough for more on that and12 other inspiring stories of women's careertransformation). In order to break through your statusquo of career pain, you have to take action, and a bold kind ofaction that's very different from what you've been doing all theseyears.

I've seen that there is a rightway to look at your career – a perspective that opensthe doors for growth, change, possibility and success – and adefinite wrong way to think aboutit. The wrong way keeps you locked in a cycleof unhappiness, insecurity, fear, and pain.

Below are the 7 hallmarks of the wrong way to view yourcareer and professional life:

1. “I'm stuck here.”