To Grow Personally & Professionally, You Must
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone…
(a.k.a. your self created prison) where we are “comfortable” in what we’re doing; in our jobs, our lives, and our experiences. It’s when we have no feelings of risk or anxiety…
The downside is there’s no personal or professional growth in “the prison”. It is what it is…
Everyone has their own personal comfort zone. We all have built-in mechanisms that regulate our level of anxiety, fear, and discomfort. When we step outside our normal, existing boundaries, we begin to feel anxious. Our natural tendency is to pull back and go back to the norm.
They say one of the most feared things in life is public speaking…because it is! It was definitely true for me as well. So…one day I decided to do something about it…I joined Toastmasters. I found a local meeting, showed up and signed up the next week. I have to tell you, I was scared to death doing my first speech…but after about the 3rdspeech…it wasn’t bad at all and by the time I got to my 10th speech, it was pretty easy.
If you want to succeed in Network Marketing, you’ll have to stretch yourself and grow; there are no short-cuts!
To put this in action, try this tomorrow when getting dressed…change the order in which you put your clothes on. How did that make you feel? Felt a bit weird, huh? That’s why we typically stay within our comfort zone. When we try something new, we often feel uneasy and go back to the norm.
The downside of this is that always staying in our comfort zone can be very limiting. The world passes us by as we stagnate. Complacency, in our fast-paced competitive world, can be fatal to business and severely limit personal and professional growth. If we are not learning, trying new things and growing, our jobs and/or businesses may be deteriorating.
How To Get Out of Your Comfort Zone?
Before you make any drastic changes, try something simple, e.g. shop at a different grocery store, sleep on the other side of the bed, drive home a different way, order something from your favorite restaurant that you’ve never had before, etc.
Allow your anxiety level to increase. Feel your heart rate and breathing going faster. The adrenaline is your body’s natural drug that, in moderation, makes you sharper, quicker, and more creative. It creates a feeling of excitement and exhilaration that comes from doing something new. This process can be a bit stressful at first.
Why the Heck Would We Want to Give Ourselves More Stress by Stepping Out of Our Comfort Zone?
Because that’s where real personal growth takes place. Once we stretch ourselves beyond our current capabilities, we really don’t want to go backwards.
As we try new things, we gain confidence. Confidence makes us feel powerful and good. And when we are confident that we can survive new things, we allow ourselves to try even more new things.
The most successful people think through the possible outcomes before taking a risk. Then they prepare for how they would deal with each outcome. Successful people take risks, but they’re not foolish or stupid.
What are some activities that could add to your personal and professional growth? Here’s my challenge to you. Make a list of 20 things that, if you really were successful in doing them, you would be a better person or more successful. Things like giving a speech, writing an article, starting an exercise program, meditate daily, teach a class, volunteer, sign up for a dance class, etc.
Then, from your list, choose a few that you’re willing to do within the next 30 days to get out of your comfort zone. Schedule those new activities, and then go for it!
The next 30 days, choose a few more and do it again to break free from your comfort zone…
Make personal and professional growth a life-long habit…
Originally posted 2018-11-15 08:32:44.
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