When there is an overbearing amount of noise and uncertainty about a future rattled by chaos in the economy, we need to put aside any timidity we might have and boldly embrace our futures. Don't cower -- lead!

Here's how to do it -- some leadership advice from Gail Blanke, a life coach we admire:

1. Let go of the past. You can't grow if you don't let go. Move on.

2. Keep your eye (and the eyes of everyone on your team) on what good could look like, what's possible, where the opportunity lies - in spite of the uncertainty of the moment.

3. Take a look at the so-called barriers to your getting what you want. Decide which are real and which are imagined. Change the things you can; accept the things you can't.

4. Get back in touch with what makes you unique. Re-define the essence of your particular brand. Ask the members of your team to do the same.

5. Edit what you listen to, watch on the news, tell yourself and other people. Don't burden yourself and others with the worst possible thoughts. It's a total waste of energy and drags you back.

6. This is a "defining moment." Embrace it. You've got everything you need to ultimately profit from it. And remember to celebrate how good you are, how far you've come, how much you've learned.

-- Gail Blanke, a best selling author, is founder, president, and chief executive officer of Lifedesigns, LLC, a company whose vision is to empower men and women worldwide to live truly exceptional lives. She spoke most recently to the jewelry industry at the Women's Jewelry Association's "Women in the Know" conference in March.

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