Monday Motivation, August 20, 2018 – Get Out of Your Comfort Zone.
It is only when you get out of your comfort zone that you discover talents you never knew you had.
I have lost count of the number of people I have coached or mentored who knew it was time for a change in their career or professional life but just haven’t been able to make the move.
Why?
They are comfortable where they are. They are well-regarded, respected and have been told they are a valuable member of the team. As well, they have a supportive family, a beautiful house and a great circle of friends.
They ask themselves every time these restless feelings have emerged in the last few years why they would want to risk all that. Why would they do anything else or go anywhere else?
On the other hand they are bored or no longer challenged in what they are doing. In fact, they are only working on a few cylinders and they know it even while their managers appear happy with their performance. They can’t see anything changing if they stop where they are, however. In those restless, anxious moments they ask themselves: Is this all there is? Do I really want to stay on this straight, flat road, driving on cruise control for the rest of my professional life?
Many times, what stops them is that they don’t believe they have skills to do anything else. If this is you, get out of your stuckness and take your feelings seriously. Procrastinate no longer.
My experience is that when people have taken the plunge into the unknown, after critical reflection and conscious decision-making, they usually discover talents and abilities in themselves they never knew they had. They would never have found them had they not stepped out of their comfort zone.
It’s the undulating road, the sharp bends that come up suddenly and force us to slow down and focus more, the crossroads that cause us to stop and work out which way to turn, that make the drive most interesting. It is often the back roads we take, off the beaten track, that take us into new territory, that are most exciting
Joseph Campbell said: “We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us”.
My Motivational Challenge for You This Week.
Take some time out to seriously reflect on whether you are stuck in a comfort zone and if so work through to your new beginning with a coach, mentor or trusted colleague.