Here’s a very valuable lesson that adds to your personal and professional growth…
In our homes, we have a thermostat that regulates the temperature.
When it gets a bit too warm, the air conditioning kicks on to bring the temperature down to an acceptable level. When the temperature drops below a comfortable point, the heater comes on to bring the room temperature up to a more comfortable level.
The “Comfort Zone” is the range of temperature that is not too hot or too cold. Just comfortable.
Our personal comfort some is where we are comfortable in what we are doing in our jobs, our lives, or our experiences. It is when we have no feelings of risk or anxiety. Some call it being comfortable. Some would call it a rut.
The point is, each of us has our own personal comfort zone.
We have built in thermostats that regulate our level of discomfort.
Try this. Fold your arms. No, fold them the other way. How did that make you feel? Felt a bit unnatural, didn’t it? That is why we usually stay within our comfort zone. When we try something new, we often feel uneasy about it, and frequently pull back. The security feels good.
The downside is that 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 business might be deteriorating.
So, how do we step out of our comfort zone? Try some simple things differently. Drive home a different route. Shop at a different grocery store. Sleep on the other side of the bed.
Make a conscious effort to experiment. Let yourself feel the adrenaline level rise a bit. Allow your anxiety level to increase.
Feel your heart rate and breathing going faster and faster. Adrenaline is your body’s natural drug that makes you sharp, creative, and quick. It creates the feeling of excitement and exhilaration that comes from trying something new.
It can be stressful.
Some stress is useful. Too much can be harmful.
Why would we want to give ourselves the stress of stepping outside the comfort zone?
Because that is where growth takes place.
Just like a muscle gets stronger when we exercise it outside its normal range of use, we get stronger when we get out of our rut.
Just like our muscles, once we stretch beyond our current capabilities, we don’t ever go back to our original dimensions.
As we try new things, we gain confidence. Confidence makes us feel powerful and good. When we are confident that we can survive new ideas, we will allow ourselves to try even more new things.
You might be asking yourself, what are some higher level activities that could add to your personal and professional growth?
Here is my challenge to you. Make a list of 50 things that, if you really were successful in doing them, you would be a better person or a better company.
This could be things like giving a speech, teaching a class, meditating, volunteering for something and so on.
Then from your list, choose one or two that you are willing to do within the next 90 days. Schedule those one or two new activities, then go for it. Afterward, choose one or two more and do it again.
Make personal and professional growth a lifelong habit.
Don’t stay parked in the comfort zone.
Well, that’s it for this issue. If you need step-by-step instructions on how to implement this and other ideas I give on creating customers, simply go to this training page.
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