I am a bullet, penetrating all resistance! I embrace my discomfort zone!
I try to say this statement to myself out loud every morning. It is part of my I Am List I created with my life coach. The principle is that if you repeat something enough it will eventually become your reality.
I’m blessed with a lot of natural gifts to help me reach fulfillment and success in my life—at least I think so. I believe I’m smart, creative, and open minded, and I feel like I have a natural ability to connect with other people. But, I know I have not come close to being my full potential. I am held back by limiting beliefs about myself. Those beliefs leave me stuck, holding myself back in my comfort zone.
I ask myself, what if whenever I had an important thing to say to someone I JUST SAID IT without hesitating, rather than worry if it would create an awkward moment? What if every time I wanted to try an unconventional idea that other people thought was ridiculous I JUST DID IT ANYWAY? What if I had been putting off a huge decision because I was nervous it would not work out the way I wanted, but I JUST DID IT ANYWAY without hesitating. That would be a super power. With that power, I think I would be capable of doing almost anything.
I know the only way to stop staying in my comfort zone is to practice being the way I’d like to be. So, I set a challenge for myself that for one month I would do at least one thing every day out of my comfort zone—something in which I ignored my inner resistance. To make myself accountable I am documenting it on a Facebook Group I belong to called the Ultimate Coach Facebook Group.
I have been doing the challenge for nine days so far. My “out of my comfort zone” behavior has varied in intensity. I usually start my day walking around my Chicago neighborhood, saying “Good Morning” to as many people as possible. This warms me up, so later I am less likely to hesitate in my social interactions. Sometimes “out of my comfort zone” means confidently asking someone at work to do something simple for me. I don’t know why, but sometimes that gives me difficulty.
Sometimes being out of my comfort zone has meant sharing important feelings and ideas with loved ones. Sometimes it has meant doing an important task on my to-do list I have put off way too long because it made me anxious.
What I have found so far is that doing these “uncomfortable” things has not been quite as uncomfortable or painful as I had feared—once I finally got myself to do them. I have also found that amidst the angst I get while pushing myself to do uncomfortable things, I also sometimes feel excited. The process is freeing. Publishing this blog, which I think reveals a vulnerable side of me, makes me feel uncomfortable. It gives me a little twitch in my stomach as I wonder how it will make me look, but that tells me it is worth publishing. Hopefully people will relate to it and find it important. Also, the act of sharing the blog will continue to make me stronger and develop my super power.
Question: What is one of your comfort zones you wish you could break out of?
