It is far easier to stay within our comfort zone even if it feels uncomfortable! It's pretty easy to find people who will commiserate with you and confirm how difficult things are.
In fact most people will probably encourage you to stay within your comfort zone because then they have permission to stay in theirs.
Working life often feels so overwhelming because there is always so much to do.
This means we have lots of convenient excuses to maintain the status quo.
Most people want routine and security above all else.
They prefer to complain about the situation they find themselves in and blame others rather than make the necessary changes.
I often hear mangers say "if only she / he would change...
" But the reality of life is that we cannot change others.
We can only change the way we behave towards them.
The same applies to the current economic climate; there is little point in wishing "If only the recession would go away!" We need to adapt and change to meet the challenges it presents.
Excitement -vs- Anxiety I've always been fascinated by the similarity between the feelings of excitement and anxiety.
We will willingly go on a fairground ride full of excitement but even mild anxiety will make us avoid confronting poor performance, making that sales call or admitting to a mistake.
In each case the body is just pumping adrenalin into your system so you can operate at a heightened state of awareness.
But the trouble is that it's the mind that chooses what you are being aware of.
Focusing on the discomfort of confrontation, rejection or the humility of being wrong holds most people back.
In my experience this affects Directors and Business Owners just as much as Managers and Supervisors.
In fact it is just a part of being human.
If we get over-concerned about all the things we can't directly influence, such as the economy, the rate of inflation, the fluctuation of the currency markets we can easily get frustrated, angry and upset - this focuses our attention on everything that is not working and it drains our energy.
When we are drained we allow lots of limiting, unhelpful and destructive thoughts to creep in.
It also inhibits creative thinking which is the very thing we need in order to stay positive, move forward and achieve success.
The Thrill Of It I recently experienced the joy of listening to Liz Jackson giving a talk at Entrepreneurs World (Liz recently starred on the TV series 'The Secret Millionaire').
She has an infectious love of life and of stepping out of her comfort zone.
She was telling us about how excited she got when as a 17-year-old she had to make cold calls to Managing Directors of established firms and rather than being daunted by the prospect she reveled in the excitement of it.
She was just thrilled to be speaking to "very experienced businessmen who wouldn't suffer fools gladly" and to explore ways to help them see the value in what she was offering.
Liz went on to say that she doesn't believe in luck.
"Don't rely on Luck - it doesn't exist.
But amazing things happen when hard work meets opportunity!" She also went on to say "Be dangerously proactive! The worst that can happen is failure -- the greatest learning curve.
" Just imagine living your life like that ...
What would you do more of if you approached failure as the greatest learning curve? What could you achieve? There is plenty of academic evidence that all of the most successful people and all high-achievers have one thing in common; they are consistently willing to transform their anxiety into excitement and step beyond their comfort zone.
Feeling The Fear And Doing It Anyway Back in 2004 the job I was doing for Business Link London changed quite dramatically from providing subsidised advice to pure diagnosis.
We were told that we were no longer allowed to give advice and could only explore what was missing for clients and make recommendations.
I had to make a stark choice; hang on to try and fight for a redundancy package (worth 9 months salary) with no certainty that I would win, or resign and go it alone.
The thought of a long drawn out fight with an uncertain outcome was actually more uncomfortable than the thought of setting up a new business.
However when I made the decision to leave I had to confront massive anxiety, doubt and fear about the last time I was self-employed; in the early 1990s, smack in the middle of the last major recession.
I lasted 4 years but ended up in debt, unable to pay my rent and so had to get a job.
But that proved to be the greatest learning curve of my life and when I considered just how much I had learned and grown over the last 10 years, I knew I was ready to go for it again.
As I transformed the anxiety into excitement I was able to remain creative and take advantage of a number of excellent opportunities.
This time around I have ensured that I consistently invest in great advice from a number of expert mentors who regularly invite me to step outside my comfort zone.
I also have a team of specialists who love doing the things I hate, so I can focus on what I do best; serving my clients.
My team also keeps me on my toes and ensure I walk the talk with them.
What Are You Thinking? In the current climate if you are not moving forward, you will be rapidly overtaken by the competition.
The status quo is no longer an option! Henry Ford is famous for saying "If you think you can, or think you can't you are always right.
" This is a rather provocative statement but it rings true more often than not.
What are you thinking about the challenges, obstacles or problems you face? If you don't have any, you are simply far too 'snug as a bug in a rug', deep in the very cozy center of your comfort zone! What will motivate you to take the first step? What will have you 'be the change you want to see', rather than waiting for others to take the first step? What internal or external support do you need to step out of your own comfort zone?
In fact most people will probably encourage you to stay within your comfort zone because then they have permission to stay in theirs.
Working life often feels so overwhelming because there is always so much to do.
This means we have lots of convenient excuses to maintain the status quo.
Most people want routine and security above all else.
They prefer to complain about the situation they find themselves in and blame others rather than make the necessary changes.
I often hear mangers say "if only she / he would change...
" But the reality of life is that we cannot change others.
We can only change the way we behave towards them.
The same applies to the current economic climate; there is little point in wishing "If only the recession would go away!" We need to adapt and change to meet the challenges it presents.
Excitement -vs- Anxiety I've always been fascinated by the similarity between the feelings of excitement and anxiety.
We will willingly go on a fairground ride full of excitement but even mild anxiety will make us avoid confronting poor performance, making that sales call or admitting to a mistake.
In each case the body is just pumping adrenalin into your system so you can operate at a heightened state of awareness.
But the trouble is that it's the mind that chooses what you are being aware of.
Focusing on the discomfort of confrontation, rejection or the humility of being wrong holds most people back.
In my experience this affects Directors and Business Owners just as much as Managers and Supervisors.
In fact it is just a part of being human.
If we get over-concerned about all the things we can't directly influence, such as the economy, the rate of inflation, the fluctuation of the currency markets we can easily get frustrated, angry and upset - this focuses our attention on everything that is not working and it drains our energy.
When we are drained we allow lots of limiting, unhelpful and destructive thoughts to creep in.
It also inhibits creative thinking which is the very thing we need in order to stay positive, move forward and achieve success.
The Thrill Of It I recently experienced the joy of listening to Liz Jackson giving a talk at Entrepreneurs World (Liz recently starred on the TV series 'The Secret Millionaire').
She has an infectious love of life and of stepping out of her comfort zone.
She was telling us about how excited she got when as a 17-year-old she had to make cold calls to Managing Directors of established firms and rather than being daunted by the prospect she reveled in the excitement of it.
She was just thrilled to be speaking to "very experienced businessmen who wouldn't suffer fools gladly" and to explore ways to help them see the value in what she was offering.
Liz went on to say that she doesn't believe in luck.
"Don't rely on Luck - it doesn't exist.
But amazing things happen when hard work meets opportunity!" She also went on to say "Be dangerously proactive! The worst that can happen is failure -- the greatest learning curve.
" Just imagine living your life like that ...
What would you do more of if you approached failure as the greatest learning curve? What could you achieve? There is plenty of academic evidence that all of the most successful people and all high-achievers have one thing in common; they are consistently willing to transform their anxiety into excitement and step beyond their comfort zone.
Feeling The Fear And Doing It Anyway Back in 2004 the job I was doing for Business Link London changed quite dramatically from providing subsidised advice to pure diagnosis.
We were told that we were no longer allowed to give advice and could only explore what was missing for clients and make recommendations.
I had to make a stark choice; hang on to try and fight for a redundancy package (worth 9 months salary) with no certainty that I would win, or resign and go it alone.
The thought of a long drawn out fight with an uncertain outcome was actually more uncomfortable than the thought of setting up a new business.
However when I made the decision to leave I had to confront massive anxiety, doubt and fear about the last time I was self-employed; in the early 1990s, smack in the middle of the last major recession.
I lasted 4 years but ended up in debt, unable to pay my rent and so had to get a job.
But that proved to be the greatest learning curve of my life and when I considered just how much I had learned and grown over the last 10 years, I knew I was ready to go for it again.
As I transformed the anxiety into excitement I was able to remain creative and take advantage of a number of excellent opportunities.
This time around I have ensured that I consistently invest in great advice from a number of expert mentors who regularly invite me to step outside my comfort zone.
I also have a team of specialists who love doing the things I hate, so I can focus on what I do best; serving my clients.
My team also keeps me on my toes and ensure I walk the talk with them.
What Are You Thinking? In the current climate if you are not moving forward, you will be rapidly overtaken by the competition.
The status quo is no longer an option! Henry Ford is famous for saying "If you think you can, or think you can't you are always right.
" This is a rather provocative statement but it rings true more often than not.
What are you thinking about the challenges, obstacles or problems you face? If you don't have any, you are simply far too 'snug as a bug in a rug', deep in the very cozy center of your comfort zone! What will motivate you to take the first step? What will have you 'be the change you want to see', rather than waiting for others to take the first step? What internal or external support do you need to step out of your own comfort zone?