How comfortable is too comfortable in your comfort zone?
So, what’s wrong with being comfortable? You’re safe and secure. You’re content in your comfort bubble. So why do you need to change it?
If you think about it, where would the world be if Benjamin Franklin or Albert Einstein hadn’t taken a chance (P.S. Einstein was told he was mentally challenged as a child). Don’t you think they might have preferred being in their own comfort zone rather than taking on the world?
Okay, well maybe most of us aren’t on this level, but the feelings we have are the same. Doing something that scares you. Remember, everything you do that’s new is a step outside your comfort zone, like walking, your first day of school, and your first kiss.
One of the most common obstacles that keep us back is fear. Fear is the granddaddy of discomfort! A metaphor for this might be your first dive off a diving board. How scary is that? Falling into an empty space, all the uncertainties of what’s going to happen: Will you inhale water through your nose and choke? Will you die? But you took that chance anyway! And did you choke or die? We need to remember those times that we accomplished the unknown, and survived, and even thrived.
Sometimes we dive and we belly flop. But at least you took that chance. And you learn from the belly flop how not to do it next time. Remember to get back on that bicycle. It doesn’t mean the next time you won’t make it.
I had my own fears to deal with. I had completed all the hard work to become a certified coach, but then I was lost in terms of how to grow my business. Clients weren’t exactly knocking on my door while I was firmly securing my place in my own comfort zone.
I had to get out there and market myself! OMG, what did I know about marketing? I just knew that if I wanted to be a successful coach with a private business, this was non-negotiable. Through amazing guidance, I was thrown to the wolves doing live videos, having professional photos taken, designing my website, and worst of all, making the dreaded cold calls selling myself and my business. First of all, I am not someone who is comfortable calling attention to myself. But here I was doing just that. I took a deep breath and dove head first. And you know what? I kind of liked it! I’ve discovered skills I didn’t even know I had, like writing, for one. Through writing I’ve gone a little deeper in my self-reflection, which has really opened up my coaching. And, my fears of other obstacles have begun to diminish, because of the confidence I gained after I took that big leap.
So how do you motivate yourself to get off your comfort couch?
First, take a look at your fear. Really, take an honest look at what scares you. Identify the obstacles that are keeping you in your comfort zone.
Once you’ve identified your obstacles, plan out some baby steps. Let’s go back to that diving board fear. Maybe first you climb up the ladder to the top, and then climb back down. Next, maybe you’re on your hands and knees, crawling toward the edge, just a bit – each time climbing back down to safety. And then the next time you walk to the edge and look below to the water, just to make sure it’s still there. And then finally, the last time, you gather all your nerves and take that leap. Close your eyes and envision yourself actually doing it. How does it feel after you do it?
So take a BIG jump off that diving board. You might even like it!
