How can you move out of the comfort zone?
We can all agree that moving yourself or your team from point A to point Z is often a challenge. Your team keeps reverting back to their old habits. There is evidence that if they do ‘x’ they will be more productive, happier, and profitable. This has been proven everywhere you’ve looked … how do you move your team out of their comfort zone?
The first part of the equation is to understand why they are in this comfort zone in the first place. It is a combination of habits, rituals, and sometimes years of experience that have conditioned us. When you hear of something new, is your first instinct to reject it? If so, that is your natural defense mechanism working. Why fix it if it ain’t broke?
I am not going to get too deep into this, and the psychology behind this question, but please let me ask you; can you grow AND stay in your comfort zone?
It is my premise, that it is not possible to do so. In order to grow, we need to challenge ourselves. A change must occur, whether it is in capabilities, mindset, physical or mental. We move through various stages before we grow. They are; Comfort, Reason, Conflict, and Freedom. Each of these areas are written about in great detail in various publications, but here is a summary of how this works.
Finding Freedom!
We are going to look at a child entering kindergarten as our example. His/her “comfort zone” is currently hanging out at home, sleeping in, and always having a parent around to rely on.
He or she moves from comfort to “reason” when the parent starts telling them about all the benefits of his future in kindergarten. You will meet new friends, play, learn about things, and have so much fun. You’ll love school …
"Conflict" arises next, when the child starts thinking; I won’t be home with my parents, what if I don’t like the new friends? What if I don’t do well in school? What if … and so on, and it continues until there is real worry, fear, and anxiety.
Crashing through and growing only happens when that child meets their fears and internal resistance head-on. They move through this barrier, and find out that the kids are cool, school is fun, and even though they miss Mom & Dad, they make it through the day, week, and months ahead. At that point, they find FREEDOM … They have moved beyond their old comfort zone, and found a new reality to live within.
All growth; personal and professional moves us through these stages. When you start opening your mind to new possibilities (reasoning), get prepared for all the self-doubt or others telling you why it won’t work (conflict). If you truly want to grow, you meet that resistance head on in order to find freedom in thinking.
If you are searching for your freedom, or moving your team from today’s reality (comfort zone) and growing (freedom), we are here to help. Sometimes it hurts to change, but we have infinite possibilities if we can crash through that barrier of conflict. Finding a coach to move you through these stages is important in both personal and professional growth.