If you’re not living your dream, it’s because your comfort zone has more control over you than you do.
Success will always happen within your strengths but outside of your comfort zone.
Two things keep us in our comfort zone: Fear and Habits
Fear: Fear of change, fear of the unknown, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of ostracism
Fear drives us to stay put, not risk, not change, not drive forward and stick to what’s comfortable for us. Fear as an acronym stands for False Evidence Appearing Real. Most of the things we fear never come to pass, yet those fears keep us from success.
Habits are the other issue with success. Habitual thinking may be our brain’s way of keeping us efficient, but it also tends to keep us in our comfort zone.
If you know what works one time, your brain starts to recognize this and create more defined neural pathways that allow you to almost unconsciously create an efficient action.
I often hear people talk about their circumstances and it drives me crazy. By definition, circumstance means what happens around you. If you change your stance, you’ll change your circum.
You have to get out of your comfort zone!
You can’t have fear and faith at the same time. They’re mutually exclusive. As well, you can’t sit in you comfort zone and achieve success in your life at the same time.
Here are some ways to get out of your comfort zone:
- Talk to someone you’ve never met: Seek out a one-on-one meeting with a new person or participate in an online event around a new topic. People around us tend to keep us who we are because they like us who we are, so find others who can help you grow.
- Look for a different viewpoint: Since you know how you think, find someone who thinks differently from you and actively push that difference. Look for a topic on a blog and reach out to a contributor with an idea different from your own. Find a co-worker who challenges your opinions and instead of being annoyed, look to partner on a new project.
- Read about topics that are outside your job: Some of the best ideas come from areas different than what you are used to spending time in. Ideas for growth and change will come to you and you’ll grow because of it.
- Do things that don’t come naturally: You have to stretch yourself. Often we spend time doing things that we’re good at and avoiding things that we haven’t tried before or we’re not particularly good at. Do something different and you’ll see how tough it is, but it will be rewarding when you learn to do it well.
- Be open, honest and frank: When you get out there, you’re going to meet people who you can learn from. Be open, honest and frank with them and ask them the tough questions that you’re having a hard time answering. You’ll find that people, in general, are much more giving and open with you thank you think.