comfort zone – Mark S. Brown

Being Competent

Competency alone can limit you. You can be competent and people may never see you as being competent. Why? Because competency becomes visible with confidence, and confidence is created by, among other things, self-image. To make your competence effective you must also build your self-image.

We all have competencies that remain largely hidden because we don’t have the confidence to allow them to lead us out of our comfort zone. An example for me is my ability to learn new things quickly and effectively. It is a competency that is not very visible to other people, but yet I know it is one of my top strengths. However, it is also linked to some of my road blocks.

With effort you can improve your competency, your confidence, and your self-image which when combined will accelerate success. Here are some ideas:

1. Practice stretching. Be intentional about using your competence to stretch yourself. Determine how your competence can be used to stretch you out of your comfort zone. For example, if you have competency in communication, how do you reach more people?

2. Learn from the best. Find the leaders in your competence and learn from them. Seek individuals or organizations that represent what you want to become.

3. Grow your confidence. If you spend time daily and weekly reflecting on your competence in an area, you can determine how to improve. You will see yourself improve and grow. Celebrate your achievements, and build your confidence and self image.

Michael J. Gelb said, “… by stretching yourself beyond your perceived level of confidence you accelerate your development of competence.” Continue to grow and stretch because your level of competence is your perceived level!

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Ser competente

Ser competente por sí solo puede limitarte. Tú puedes ser competente y la gente tal vez nunca te vea así. ¿Porque? Porque la competencia se ve cuando tienes confianza en ti mismo, y la confianza en ti mismo se crea aparte de por otras cosas, por tu auto estima.

Para hacer que tu competencia sea efectiva tienes que también desarrollar tu auto estima.

Todos somos competentes en algo que nunca nadie se da cuenta porque no tenemos la confianza de salirnos de nuestra zona de confort.

Un ejemplo para mi es mi habilidad de aprender nuevas cosas rápido. Esta es una competencia que no es muy visible para otras personas, y sin embargo yo sé que es una habilidad que tengo.

Con esfuerzo tú puedes mejorar tus competencias, tu confianza, y tu auto estima que combinadas van a acelerar tu éxito. Estas son algunas ideas para lograrlo:

1. Practica salirte de tu zona de confort. Intencionalmente utiliza tu competencia fuera de tu área de confort. Determina como puedes usar tu habilidad en otras áreas. Por ejemplo, si tienes habilidad para la comunicación, ¿Cómo puedes comunicarte con más gente?

2. Aprende de los mejores. Encuentra líderes en tu habilidad y aprende de ellos. Busca individuos u organizaciones que representen lo que tú quieres llegar a ser.

3. Desarrolla tu confianza. Si pasas tiempo diariamente y semanalmente reflexionando en tu habilidad en un área, tú puedes determinar cómo mejorarla. Tú vas a verte a ti mismo mejorar y crecer. Celebra tus logros, y construye tu confianza y autoestima.

Michael J. Gelb dijo… “Al salirnos de nuestra área de confort nosotros mismos, podemos acelerar nuestro desarrollo y habilidades”

¡Continúa creciendo y esfuérzate porque tu nivel de habilidad es lo que otros perciben que es!

What Belief Is Limiting You?

Limiting beliefs live in your head, and therefore are invisible. They are filters that shape your world, and are built over a lifetime, but they are holding you back. You create these filters as protection. They keep you in your comfort zone. They keep you from being hurt, embarrassed, or being a failure.

If you are going to tap into the unlimited potential that exists within you, you will have to kill these limiting beliefs. Here are a few methods.

1. Disprove them. Just jump beyond your comfort zone and prove that you can do whatever you thought you could not do. Want to be a better speaker? Join toastmasters. Want to be a better leader? Join a John Maxwell Team mastermind group.

2. Live outside your comfort zone. This is much harder because we all naturally want to be in our comfort zone. If you can purposefully stretch yourself beyond the edge of your comfort zone each day, you will grow beyond your dream.

3. Find a coach. Most of us don’t even know our limiting beliefs. They are part of our view of the world. A coach can help you find your barriers, and then step through them. A coach can help you articulate your dream, and hold you accountable to achieve it. The reality is that most people will not be able to conquer their limiting beliefs without a coach. The John Maxwell Team is a great place to start.

Paul R. Scheele said, “Humans, with the capacities of higher-order thinking, can overcome limiting behaviors and fears.” Animals act on instincts an feelings, humans act on the thoughts that originate from within their sub-conscious mind. We have the ability to change our thoughts, change our actions, and change our results!

Stretching Out of Your Comfort Zone

It was the psychologist Abraham Maslow that said, “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” Yet, forty-two percent of college graduates in the United States have never read another book after completing school.

I have reflected on the key changes in my life, and how I have stepped out of my comfort zone. I never made decisions to stretch myself and grow. I made decisions based on opportunity, and being aware of the opportunity at the right time.

I don’t think it is by coincidence that the experiences that gave me the most growth and personal reward are the experiences that were outside my comfort zone. This fact has made me start to examine how I can leave my comfort zone. For my own growth, not for a company, or someone else. I want it for myself, to stretch to my potential.

What about you? What experiences have shaped your life? How many of them required you to be out of your comfort zone? What actions should you be taking today to stretch yourself?