“Oh God, what was I thinking????”
This was me freaking out in the first class of an advanced coach training program.
I was way behind on the assignments that I was supposed to complete before this class. So when I thought of the extra assignments for that week…total freak out!
The thought that I had to do this every week for 6 months caused more than one panic moment.
In the class that day, the mentor coach asked us to air out our concerns.
I had 2 concerns:
- I’ve been so used to doing things my way for so long and now I’m scared of having to relearn everything anew. This was actually my #1 concern.
- Where will I get the time to complete all this work?
It was much easier to stay in my comfort zone. At that moment, it actually felt as if I had jumped off a cliff without a parachute!
The mentor floored me when he responded, “Caroline, you’ve already left your comfort zone and jumped off the cliff by attending this first class. So there’s no going back.”
He also noted that if I really wanted to, I would create the time for the assignments, reading, and practise.
I had a ‘deer-in-the-headlights-moment’ there.
5 weeks later, I was smiling as I looked back at the things I thought would kill me.
Not only were my assignments on track, but I was ahead with the reading and practicals.
- I had fun every step of the way.
- The skills and experience I gained from that 6-month course made me a better coach.
- I also got the confidence to double my fees that year, with amazing results.
It’s time to leave your comfort zone
Getting out of your comfort zone is not easy. Unfortunately, remaining there is a sure way to stagnate and waste away.
Remaining in your comfort zone is like deciding to simply be at the bottom of the barrel in your profession, career, company, industry…in all areas of life.
It means accepting mediocrity and being OK with things remaining as they are.
If you want to have massive success, you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone all the time until being out of it becomes your normal way of life.
This blog has enough material to help you expect change and growth. Using these resources will help you actively seek growth and commit to constant personal and business growth.
The journey is never easy, but…
One thing I see constantly in my life and coaching practice is people getting stuck. They get out of their comfort zone, but opt to go back when the journey ahead becomes too hard.
So many times, people reach out to me for help and after we explore their goals and dreams, many end up saying, “I really want to achieve this goal, but I don’t think I have it in me to do it.”
Sometime ago, my son who had started a blog sought my advice because he wants to get back into blogging.
He started the blog and then realized that it required more work than he was ready to take on because he needed to write consistently.
So he started writing sporadically…and finally gave up.
In our conversation, he noted that he wants to write, but doesn’t know how to get back to the level of excitement he had when starting the blog.
My response to him was that his wish to write had to be bigger than his desire to give up. I also noted to him that nothing big was ever achieved easily.
To achieve success as a blogger, he has to overcome the discomfort of writing and just write. The more he’ll write, the more stories he’ll have and the easier it will get – this I know for a fact.
Are you willing to pay the price?
If you want to achieve something big or become someone great, you have to give up something in return. You also have to go beyond your comfort zone.
Your most desired goals and dreams will not achieve themselves. Neither will they materialize from the ether.
Life will not hand your goals over to you on a platter. You have to work at them. You have to give up something (or some things) in return. This is the price you pay for success.
The bigger the goals and dreams, the bigger the challenges you find along the way…
…and the further you have to move from your comfort zone.
A lot can happen when you take just one single step out. And this single step leads to the next one, and the next one, and the next one.
Before you know it, you’re either well on the way to achieving your goal or have already achieved it.
Are you willing to do that this week?
Your assignment for this week is very simple:
Believe in yourself and take a step of faith towards your most desired goal and this time next year, we’ll be talking a totally different story.
