 |
| Source |
Hi all,
Hope you're having a good week. This week I'm talking about stepping outside our comfort zone. I for one find it very challenging. I'm a natural introvert therefore I can sometimes find social situations and trying new things a tad overwhelming. Some people are real go getters and I envy their confidence and assertiveness. I really admire those people who go off travelling the world on their own. There is no way in hell I could do that. I have a friend who has done the Camino in Spain on her own three times since September and I really am in awe of her. The same girl (she doesn't like praise) will tell me to get a grip once she reads this!! :)
We all have different challenges and fears in this life and we can tend to gravitate to areas that we feel safe and secure in. We won't leave the job we hate because we crave security. We'll stay in a relationship that has been dead and buried for a long time for fear of being alone. We won't cut off that friend that puts us down all the time because we've been friends with her for years so we can't cut them off now. I think you're starting to get my drift.
Last Sunday I took on a 6k women's race in aid of a local mental health charity. I knew I could run the distance as I had done it in training but the fear of running against other people and in front of people I knew had me nearly paralized. I know there will be people reading thinking I'm being extreme but this was honestly the way I felt. In order for me to be able to run this race I had to get into a certain frame of mind. I focused on just getting one leg in front of the other and didn't look behind me once. I pretended that I was out on my normal run and just challenged myself to a faster pace than I had been doing in training. It worked and I ran it faster than I had in training. The morning of the race I would have loved nothing more than turning over and going back to sleep but I had told people I was doing it and therefore I felt accountable.
Below are some of the methods that have helped me in stepping out of my comfort zone over the years.
1. Tell someone you've set yourself a challenge. It will be harder to back out as you won't want to let that person down.
2. Allow yourself to feel your feelings. They are real to you and you can't help them. Tell yourself that fear is a natural emotion and we all experience it.
3. Write out a list of all the things that could go wrong and on the other side write all the things that could go right. If you have more on the 'right' side well then, it's a no brainer.
4. Talk to people who have already been through whatever it is you want to do already. If you want to run a marathon ask someone what their training plan was. If you desperately want to leave your job ask someone you know that's done that and started over again. Most people are delighted to help others so don't be afraid to ask them. All they can do is say no and even if they do say no they might know someone else that can help you.
5. Have patience with yourself. It's a natural human trait to crave security and contentment and remain in our own little bubble. By setting goals and taking baby steps towards them you will get there eventually.
Hope you enjoyed this piece. Again as always if there's anything in particular you would like me to talk about please let me know.
Have a great weekend!
Love,
Maria
x
