Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone
Pushing ourselves outside of our comfort zone can be a REALLY scary thing!!! We all want to feel successful. When we set a goal or take on something that is unfamiliar to us or that we have never done before, FEAR starts to creep in. Our minds create these stories that most/all of time are not even close to the truth!!! Can you think of a time when you created the worst-case scenario for an event or situation only to have it turn out great?!?! I know that I can…
Mindset
Our mindsets around a goal, event, or situation can/will dictate our experience. Having a positive mindset will change your outlook, experience, and results for just about anything. It’s when we let that pesky emotion “fear” create self-doubt that we ask the question, “Can I really do this?” The answer is YES, YOU CAN!!! To be honest, if a goal doesn’t excite me and scare me (just a little), then I know it isn’t the right goal.
What If?
What if you put your fear, self-doubt, and negative mindset aside? Think of all the things you could/would achieve that you haven’t been able to up until this point. When you push yourself outside your comfort zone, that is when growth as an individual truly happens. What if you faced all the obstacles that you think are holding you back to achieve something you never thought you could? We are the ones who hold ourselves back most of the time. It is the fear, self-doubt, and limiting beliefs we carry around and tell ourselves multiple times per day that keeps us from doing the things that will get us the results in life that we desire What if, instead of believing all of the things that you tell yourself that are holding you back, you instead acknowledge them and then let them go? One thing that would happen is you would spend A LOT more time on the behaviors and thoughts that will move you closer to your desired result instead of being stuck in your own head!!!
Push Your Limits
I absolutely love this quote by Thomas Jefferson: “If you want something you have never had, you must do something you have never done.” When you read this, what emotions come up for you? For me, fear and excitement come to mind. Being fearful of the unknown can limit our belief about what we are truly capable of. Fear of change may also be a limiting belief that is holding you back. We are creatures of habit and often don’t embrace change and how it can make us better or help us achieve a goal. Ask yourself, “What is it that I want to achieve that I haven’t yet been able to?”
Now What?
Now that you know what it is that you want to achieve, you can decide how you are going to go about doing it. Don’t just decide though; visualize yourself achieving the goal and experience the feelings you will have when you achieve the goal. It’s not just enough to decide what it is that you want; you must believe that you can achieve it and see yourself doing so! As the quote states, “You must do something you have never done.” More than likely, it will be more than one thing that you need to implement in order to be successful. I am going to relate this to achieving a health, fitness, or physique goal that you are striving for. – First, come up with a list of behaviors/actions that you are already doing that is moving you closer to that goal. – Once you have that, list one to three behaviors that you can STOP doing that are moving you further away from that goal. – Next, decide how you can do a little bit more or do a little bit better. For example, if you are getting in 6,000 steps per day, modify your schedule so that you can get in 8,000 steps per day. A little bit more, a little bit better. – The last step is to pick one to three things that are outside your comfort zone. They may scare you just a little, BUT they will make the biggest difference in achieving your goal and seeing the results you want. Examples could include: hiring a personal trainer or working out in a group training program, making the decision to cook all your meals at home instead of eating out, giving up alcohol, gluten, and/or sugar, facing emotions you have choose to not deal with, or getting to bed 30 minutes earlier and letting the “to-do” list wait until tomorrow. Not, this may be scary for you, but it’s a good exercise to stretch your comfort zone…
