MilestonesCoach
GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!
I
f you have ever worked out to exercise guru Jillian Michaels, you are probably familiar with her famous quote ‘get comfortable with being uncomfortable’. To many people this sounds completely absurd! Why would anyone want to get out of their comfort zone? I will let you in on a not-so-little secret. Getting out of your comfort zone is where your life happens; nothing ever gets accomplished sitting in your comfort zone. Your comfort zone is exactly that; comfortable, familiar and predictable. It’s where you feel safe and face almost no risk. It’s your fortress in which you hide away from life’s struggles, challenges and opportunities. But the catch in existing in your comfort zone is that you will never accomplish anything or live a happy and satisfied life. One of the best ways to grow and experience what life can offer is to try something new. But for many of us ‘new’ is unfamiliar and unfamiliar is uncomfortable. So, we willingly trap ourselves in the incapacitating cage of a monotonous job, one that we don't particularly enjoy, out of fear of experiencing a new environment and all that a new job would entail. The reason why most people prefer to stay in their comfort zone or, more precisely, why many people do not get OUT of their comfort zone is simple; it is pure fear. Fear, is usually the root cause of our stunted growth and progress when it comes to life. But, the most successful people know that in order to achieve the lives of our dreams, we need to push past that fear, out of our comfort zone and into our growth zone. Here is where life happens, where you push the boundaries and where you are most uncomfortable. But rest assured, this is where the magic happens. The best way to make the process of leaving your comfort zone a little less daunting is to eliminate your ego. When you shift your mindset from focusing on the finish line and instead be aware of the journey, here is where you will start to learn about yourself. You will not succeed from the beginning and chances are, whatever you plan on doing first, will be one of your biggest failures. However, struggle is part of the package; as is failure. The key is to be comfortable with both and not to allow your ego to get hurt. Struggle will build your character and is a normal step in development and progress. One thing that will help you is to remember that your feelings will come and go, but your experiences will last a lifetime. As you allow yourself to be exposed to more uncomfortable situations, the more you will realize that this is where your growth happens and the more comfortable you will be with it. If you don't get uncomfortable at the gym, you will never achieve the fitness level you aspire to. If you don't get uncomfortable at the office, you will miss important business opportunities. If you don’t put yourself out there in your relationship with your spouse, you will never know what it means to be in a happy and fulfilled relationship. The more you expose yourself to uncomfortable situations, the more accustomed you will be to discomfort and the more growth and benefit you will witness in your life. Once you take that first, scary step, you will discover a vault of untapped potential. So what are you waiting for? Get comfortable being uncomfortable! 020
JULY 2017