Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone

by Cathy Bryant

Regardless of what your business is, one of the first things you must do in order to achieve success is to be prepared to do things that may initially be uncomfortable to you. No one has ever achieved anything without first tackling tasks that are difficult for them.

Athletes, in order to excel in their sport, are always stretching the limits of their endurance. So too, are entrepreneurs. If you're not doing this - if you're not taking that extra step that often means the difference between accomplishing a task or not - then chances are you will never achieve true success, however you define it.

Everyone is no doubt familiar with the term "comfort zone." Basically, your comfort zone is that area of your life where you never feel threatened or uncomfortable in any way. For some people, even the thought of starting their own business with an idea towards eventually leaving their full-time job is so unpleasant for them that they wouldn't even consider it. For them, the work and risk involved stretches them so beyond their comfort zone that it's an idea they would never give any serious thought to, no matter how unhappy they may currently be in their job situation.

For those of us who are involved in our own business, or even for those reading this who have not yet started one but are seriously considering it, obviously the desire to be an independent business person outweighs any misgivings we might have about our ability to accomplish our goals. That's not to say that each of us won't have to stretch ourselves beyond our own personal boundaries; however, the desire to be on our own and away from the traditional "nine-to-five grind" propels us to accomplish tasks that we may at one time or another never dreamed we would be able to do.

For example, my own personal demon that could have easily kept me from attempting an internet business was my total and complete "technophobia." Being a female over the age of forty meant that I had to tackle the technology of my childrens' generation, and that often meant relying on people much younger than me for information, training and support. This was often difficult for me to do. But I knew that the internet was the next great frontier, and it was important to me to be a part of it. My desire to take advantage of this new way of doing business was much stronger than any misgivings I had about seeking help and assistance from others - including my own teen-age son. And although I am still far removed from being proficient technically, I've learned a great deal. We are all capable of so much when we believe in what we are trying to do and are willing to travel the less comfortable path in order to achieve our goals.

What particular aspects of your business propel you beyond your own personal comfort zone? They're generally easy to figure out; just think about those things about your business that you have a tendency to put off or ignore. Ask yourself why; chances are you avoid doing certain things because they are unpleasant to you in some way. Regardless of the reason, these are the very tasks that you must do to move forward and ultimately achieve your personal goals.

I have found that scheduling the tasks I find the most unpleasant early in the day relieves me of the guilt I would feel if I continued to put them off, and it also makes the rest of my work day go more smoothly. I can concentrate on those things that I enjoy and do my best work because I'm comfortable with the knowledge that those tasks are not waiting for me when I am tired and less productive.

If you are honest with yourself, you can easily pinpoint those aspects of your business that are the most unpleasant for you. Once you have done that, make it a priority in your business day to accomplish at least one of them. In this way, you have taken a big step toward achieving your dream of financial and personal independence with your own business.

Cathy Bryant is the creator and publisher of HomeBizJunction E-Zine, an email newsletter dedicated to helping anyone who is interested in starting or improving their own home-based business. To subscribe, send a blank email to: mailto:homebizjunction-subscribe@onelist.com or visit http://www.homebizjunction.com/
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