This is one of my favorite infographics. It’s quite simple, yet so powerful. It tells you that you can choose to stay in your little circle of comfort or choose instead to venture out and hop into the big juicy circle where the magic happens. Many things can keep you in your comfort zone, including fear of the unknown, fear of failure, reliance on what we know, need to be “right,” need to be “responsible,” inability to take action, unwillingness to try something new, and plain old inertia.
Thinking about what reward is waiting for you outside the safety of your comfort zone is the first step to venturing beyond it. Asking yourself the age-old question, “What would I do if I knew I would not fail?,” is a great place to start. If money, time, perfection, and guarantees were not objects, what goal or dream would you go after? What passion would you pursue? Where would your heart and soul take you?
Taking a hard look inside of yourself to understand what keeps you in your comfort zone is another important step to take. What worse-case scenarios have you created in your head? What other things are the voices in your head telling you that are holding you back? What do you believe to be true that truly isn’t? What exactly are you afraid of?
Committing to the first action gets you in motion toward the circle where the magic happens. For many of us, the action required to get to the magical place seems overwhelming or unattainable. However, if you can see a series of small steps rather than the giant leap required to get to your end goal, anything is possible. I recently heard a speaker share the story of his incredible weight loss. He explained that he saw the goal not as losing 260 pounds but rather losing 1 pound 260 times. Who can’t see the possibility of losing one pound?
Three steps can make this infographic a reality for you – 1) think about and envision the reward that awaits; 2) take a look inside to understand what is keeping you in your comfort zone; and 3) commit to the first action to get in motion.
What magic do you want to create for yourself?
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If you enjoyed this post, you can read more like it in our book, The Power of Thoughtful Leadership: 101 Minutes To Being the Leader You Want To Be, available on Amazon.
For help in getting out of your comfort zone or helping your team get out of its comfort zone, contact Robyn at rmcleod@chatsworthconsulting.com.
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