It’s great when you have something to do, you know the goal, identify the steps you need to take and just do them. It’s done, no big deal. You’ve reached your goal AND the task was in your comfort zone.
But what happens if you exist and work in your comfort zone but are not happy with the results you get?
True, you’re safe and comfortable but …you’re not making the money you want.
Yes, you know what to expect from the things you are doing but …you don’t have enough clients.
You are following the rules you set but …but you are not fulfilled by your business or your life.
You created boundaries and build walls to protect yourself and now… you’re bumping into them and they are hurting you.
You think you know yourself; you believe that the walls will keep you safe. They will protect your time and limits. The walls help to ensure that what you are doing makes sense and you won’t get hurt along the way.
There are also walls that have simply outlived their usefulness. They were important when you created them but at this point you are living within them out of habit and not out of necessity.
I am a big fan of boundaries, and know that the walls we build are vital to our existence, and yet there are times that they prevent us from reaching the very goals we strive for.
So how do you figure out when your walls, your boundaries, need to shift? And how do you break down those walls without self-destructing?
- Look at the results you are getting. Are you happy with them? If you are then your boundaries are exactly where they need to be, but if not read on.
- Consider the goals that you have in mind and the various ways you can reach them whether or not the goals, or the path to achieving them, are in your comfort zone.
- Review all of the options you outlined. What does each have to offer you? What benefits can be achieved by stretching in this way?
- Think about the walls you’ve created. Are they really keeping you safe? What is the real risk to you if you reached beyond your wall?
- Identify the walls you’ve created. Look for the things that you consciously say “NO” to, or the things that sit on your to-do list forever and ask yourself if the walls are serving you.
One thing I’ve learned is that if you keep doing exactly what you’re doing you will get the same results. If you stay within your carefully constructed boundaries you will continue to do the same thing.
Your comfort zone is just that… comfortable. Maybe it’s time for you to stretch yourself. To grow and get results that are just beyond what you can currently reach.
Where are you going to stretch yourself? What wall is it time for you to break down? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.
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