Ditch the safe zone, get gRoWing!

Naturally we as human beings like the "safe zone." There is something comforting and soothing about nothing changing and always knowing what you're going to get....even the adventurous people and risk takers in your life like the "safe zone" sometimes because, well, it's just easier to play it safe! However, each time you step away from this "safe/comfort zone" you improve! You learn, you grow, and you get a little bit better, EVERY TIME! While things are difficult and scary at first, it is ALWAYS worth the adventure. I promise!

Think about it...think back in your life to the most amazing and meaningful events that have occurred...examine these events....what happened? what were you doing before "it" happened? what we were you doing after "it" happened...what did you have to do in order for "it" to happen? Ask yourself these questions and think about it..............are you realizing that you had to step out of your comfort zone to achieve the end result?  Maybe you didn't have to take a drastic leap but I can bet that somewhere along the way, in order to get what you got, you had to step out of your comfort zone!

*drawn to scale ;)

Here is an example, in college, I was an All America, nationally ranked, soccer player. This didn't just happen over night....obviously...it took years and years of practice. Every practice I had to physically push myself beyond the limit that I arbitrary set for myself...I had to CONSTANTLY push myself into a new level that I have never experienced before.  How did I do it? I believed that I could - when my legs felt like jello and I thought I was going to faint I knew that if I told myself I could do it my legs wouldn't just stop working and my heart wouldn't just quit....over and over again, I told myself that I could do it and that it would be worth every bit of pain, ache, and tear that came with it! I did it...it happened...and it was a HUGE, HUGE, accomplishment.

Here is another example - when I opened up a real estate firm in NC with my partner (at the time), I had to consistently do things that made me uncomfortable....things that I easily could have said "I will sit this one out..." I had to introduce myself to strangers, I had to walk into a room full of successful and smart competitors with the confidence to know that I had something to bring to the table, I had to speak to groups of people about subjects I really didn't know a whole lot about...it was difficult, uncomfortable, and anxiety provoking but I did it...it happened...and it was worth it.

Think about 2012 and how your year has gone...how many times did something come up that you said "I'll sit this one out" or "not today?" Stepping out of your comfort zone doesn't have to be a life or death event. It could be something as little as introducing yourself to someone you don't know at a meeting or trying a new exercise class - surely you've heard the saying "a little bit goes a long way."  Taking on little adventures and challenges now will help you prepare for the big ones later!

If you want to be successful, in your personal life AND your professional life you NEED to step outside of your comfort zone (and frequently!)

Remember: luck has very little to do with success - success happens when preparation meets opportunity!

Whatever you do between today and tomorrow, do something you wouldn't normally do that pushes you outside of your comfort zone.  We live in a world of endless opportunity and happiness, ask me to prove it if you don't believe me ;),  put yourself in the path of the inevitable by stepping out of your comfort zone! <--There is no room for creativity or adventure there anyway!