Moving Outside the Comfort Zone

Calm waters, sunshine with a cool breeze, and the temperature right in the sweet spot at 78 degrees. That's my comfort zone. You know what else is? Not making the scary cold call. Not going Live on social media and risking public embarrassment. Not running sprints uphill and feeling a burning sensation in my lungs.

Here's the thing though. Without the calls, there are no sales. Without going Live, there's no getting comfortable in front of audiences and learning to capture - and keep - their attention. Without running uphill, well, life goes on. That may not have been my brightest idea. That said, if I want endurance I have to be willing to train harder than a light jog on level ground.

If you're prepared to settle, then this blog isn't for you. And that's okay. If you have ambition and a nagging feeling inside of you to know how much you're capable of, you're going to have to step over that line. Perhaps what makes that last step the hardest one is that we can see what's right on the other side of the line. We know we have to make a phone call, make a sales pitch to an audience, or post a how-to video. We know we have to work a second job to get out of debt, or give up social life for awhile to pursue that MBA with night classes.

We can see that those things are the actual next step over the line, but we see all of the obstacles that come with it. This is where things fall apart. When you know what you have to do, doubt will creep in. You have mere seconds (factually speaking, it's 5 seconds to be exact) before your brain will interrupt your grand idea and talk you back away from the line. If you've read the book The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins, then you're familiar with her research on this topic. For those that haven't read it, here are the cliffnotes: When you know you need to do something (make a decision, make a call, pitch the sale, etc.) count backwards 5-4-3-2-1 and then immediately act. The countdown interrupts your brain from it's taunts about how you'll fall short, how you'll fail, how playing it safe is where you're meant to remain. If you hesitate, you lose.

Here's the beauty in this: If you can push yourself to act on your idea, you've already won half the battle. If it doesn't go as planned, that's okay. Know where the doubt creeps in, and plan ahead. If making calls is part of your day-to-day, program the phone numbers into your calendar on your phone ahead of time. When the calendar reminder pops up to tell you to make the call to a certain person, you don't have to lose time trying to find the phone number while that inner voice starts to talk you out of it. Instead, that calendar reminder pops up with the phone number right in front of you. All you have to do is click and it's dialing it for you. That's 1 second.

See the obstacle that keeps popping up, and plan around it. If you're the pep-talking type, you can use this to push you outside your comfort zone as well. You know those office meetings or conferences where they have a motivational speaker and they're telling you everything you need to hear? They say everything you need to hear:

1. You're worthy of your dream.

2. You are not an imposter. Your competitor doesn't have skills or talents beyond what you have. They've just been at this longer.

3. You are a sales ninja.

4. You are meant for that promotion.

Here's the thing: You hear it at the conference and it resonates. You're on fire. You're ready to take on the world. Then, the conference disperses, you check your social media account and are disappointed in the engagement on your most recent post, or you have an email saying "thanks, but no thanks" from a pitch you made. You're deflated.

Expect this to happen but know that you can truly begin to transform your mind over time. How? Affirmations. Let me show you how you can utilize this (and stop thinking this is woo-woo, I was skeptical once too until my mind was blown by how I could influence my subconscious, which by the way, is the same part of the brain that keeps you in your comfort zone). Riddle me this: What is the biggest insecurity you have? Is it that your sales volume sucks? Is it that you can't seem to convert leads into clients? Is it that you're terrified someone is going to actually answer the phone when you make the scary call? We're going to flip-flop you're biggest insecurity (and make it super specific with results) and it will become your affirmation. For example:

1. I close 11 transactions per month.

2. My sales volume is $8,400 per month.

3. I convert 75% of my leads into clients.

4. I am an expert in my field and can handle phone calls without hesitation.

Do you see how we're turning the insecurity into a measurable result? The woman closing 11 transactions might only be closing 4 right now. However, her goal is 11 and she's going to begin training her subconscious this way. Same with the people in the other examples. Be specific, say it in present tense as though the goal has already been attained, and say this to yourself as often as you can. Set it as a calendar reminder on your phone (have the affirmation pop right up with the reminder), write it on your bathroom mirror, frame it and place it on your desk, put a sticky note next to your coffee maker. It will take time, but the more consistent and intentional you are with these, the more likely you are to take those risks that you're avoiding right now.

The next time you're standing at the line of your comfort zone, ask yourself this: Am I content with this being my limit? You'll never know how much untapped potential you have until you're willing to put it to the test.