Why Jennifer Lopez Thinks You Should Never Stay In A Job Out Of Fear

For most people, holding a steady, reliable job marks a certain level of success.

But for Jennifer Lopez, whose list of accomplishments runs the gamut from selling platinum albums to starring in movies to designing her own clothing and fragrance lines, staying with one steady gig too long can hold you back from pursuing bigger - and sometimes riskier - things.

In her new book, "True Love," Lopez talks about her decision to leave her position as a judge on "American Idol" to go on tour. Time recently pointed out how this decision taught her to never stay in a job out of fear, noting that although it was scary to leave her comfortable role on Idol, it was an important career move.

Time presents this excerpt from her book to illustrate the point:

"I had been so afraid of it all - afraid I would fail, afraid people would criticize me… And then I realized if I didn't believe in myself, nobody else would either… If I didn't do this tour, I'd probably regret it for the rest of my life… I loved being on Idol, but it was time to move on. It didn't make sense for me to spend a third year in a row sitting on a panel, judging other singers, especially if the main reason I was doing it was for the security of it."

For Lopez, who will return to the show for the 14th season, the job security of staying with "American Idol" wasn't worth giving up the potential rewards a world tour could offer. While it's always a risky decision to leave a sure thing for something that could possibly fail, staying in a job simply out of a fear of failure isn't any way to live either.