Is Your Comfort Zone The Right Zone For You?
The well known saying “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” is one that I have challenged myself with often. I decided to challenge my thinking in a bigger way. It took time but I have built a discipline for managing my own change. It has shifted my approach to feelings of vulnerability, overcoming uncertainty and facing fear straight on so that although I may experience stress and discomfort at times, I don’t it let it stop me. More than ever before I take bold action and constantly have interesting conversations with people I might be otherwise intimidated by and because of this boldness I have more opportunities than ever before.
Change has always had the connotation of disruption but what if we shift our perspective in regard to the idea of change and view it as and extension or evolution of our environment, our mindset and our relationships in can open up incredible possibilities.
How we manage our perspective about change or I even dare say celebrate change in all of it’s glory and pain, gives us the gift of continually evolving, learning and growing and isn’t that what life is all about?
Change is a process, not an item you can select from an online store and have it shipped to your doorstep overnight. Sometimes it is even agonizingly slow, and we feel as if we are not moving forward at all. On occasion we even think we might be sliding backwards. This is normal. Achieving change is not like any other project in life that you can chart into a linear timetable and have it fall neatly into its allotted places.
One of the hardest things to do is to develop the patience and persistence needed for genuine change and growth. But in the end, the reward is worth getting there many times over. What makes change so unwieldy is that our ideas of what we want keep altering as we move along our journey to awesome. To be your best, you have to learn to manage change and thrive in the midst of it, and not just patiently wait for it to happen. You need focus, thought and determination to see it through its many stages.
Your belief and trust in the process is critical.
You know that your situation may not be ideal in its current state, but you can take heart in the knowledge that things will get better. This includes having faith in spite of not knowing what the outcome will be, choosing to be wholly present throughout your journey, and simply living in the moment, understanding that bold courage will help you through the process.
Change and growth cannot happen when you stay in the place of what you know. When you choose to live only in places that are known to you, you build a fortress in which you can hide from any challenges. But as you hide, you also miss the opportunities that pass. For transformative change, you need to live in the place of the unknown for a period of time so you can experience and learn new ways to interact and contribute to the world.
Trust requires self-determination and tenacity. It requires you to rise above your own perceptions and negative thinking and have faith in the future. It is not living by chance but rather embracing the dreams of the future. When things get tough, you hold that vision firmly in your mind. Renew your commitment to the now, being present and making sure you are pointed in the right direction with the right mindset as each day unfolds.
When you have bold courage and show willingness to trust the process of stepping into a bigger potential for our life, you also ready yourself to brave those temporary storms, those times of discomfort and those seasons of uncertainty because the risk is worth the reward. True change is achieved when you can see yourself differently from the way you are living now in your current circumstances. If you aren’t open to dreaming and seeing possibilities, you will remain stagnant.
Having the willingness to believe in your success sets the stage for the action of change. That willingness will allow you to turn the ordinary into extraordinary.
Paula Morand is a leadership building, revenue boosting, strategy expanding keynote speaker, author and visionary. This dreaming big and being bold leadership expert and brand strategist brings her vibrant energy, humor and wisdom to ignite individuals, organizations and communities to lead change, growth and impact in a more bold fashion. 24 years, 27,000 clients, 34 countries, 15 books, former radio personality, 11x award winning entrepreneur and humorous emcee.Check out Paula’s best selling books: “Bold Courage: How Owning Your Awesome Changes Everything”, “Dreaming BIG and Being BOLD: Inspiring stories from Trailblazers, Visionaries and Change Makers” book series; and due to be released soon “Bold Vision: A Leader’s Playbook for Managing Growth” go to Amazon http://ow.ly/i8yW307ix67
Speaking inquiries email bookings@paulamorand.com or call toll-free 1-888-502-6317.