18 Oct Don’t Let Fear Make your Decisions for You.
When was the last time you did something for the first time? If you are true to yourself, the answer most probably is that you did something for the first time in your childhood
As a child, we do not have inhibitions. Otherwise, we would not even have learnt to turn on our backs! Leave aside standing up and walking! The fear of people laughing at ourselves is the worst killer of our aspirations and dreams. What holds us back most of the time is our frame of mind rather than our knowledge, skills and abilities.
Why do we get into our comfort zone?
As we learn how to hone our newly acquired skills, we also get into our comfort zones. We get confidence that yes, we know how to do this. Obviously, the comfort zone is not all bad! It makes us comfortable about ourselves, gives us confidence about the skill that we have learnt. The confidence gets us appreciation.
Confidence also lulls us into a sense of security. The appreciation plus the sense of security create shackles around. Our minds do not want to break out of this confort zone to learn new things. That is where you need to step out of your comfort zone. If you stay in your comfort zone, you might get better at whatever skills you have learnt. But will you progress?
Why we stay in the comfort zone?
A fear of acceptance holds us back from venturing into the unknown. If we leave our comfort zone, we are in uncharted territory. We need to understand new things. Need to learn new skills. Many others are proficient in the skills that we begin learning after stepping out of our comfort zones. We are newcomers, while they are established. The fear that they will ridicule us, laugh at us holds us back. We most of the time do not realize it. We give ourselves some excuses like “I do not have time right now”, “I have more important or urgent things to attend to!” All such things are a facade. Our minds are hiding the fear from us and giving us excuses that we will readily and happily accept.
This inner mind is trying to keep us happy, but in turn it also makes us complacent. Once we become complacent, the zone becomes our home. We are so comfortable here! Nobody laughs at us. We are good at whatever skills we have achieved. Why in the world should we venture out of this zone?
Why Should We Step Out Of Our Comfort Zone?
Simple! If we want to grow, if we want to achieve more, we have to learn new skills. We need to make due efforts. We need to focus. We need to work hard! This would mean, we will have to forsake easy life. On top of it, it will take time to again be proficient at whatever new we are learning. Is it worth it? Every penny!
Life is all about change!. Remember, the paved path is comfortable to walk but no flowers grow there! If you want flowers, be prepared to walk some distance. Sometimes in the sun and sometimes in the rain!!
Many of you, when you start preparing for your PMP® Exams, this is what happens if you have realized.
When I decided to do the PMP® certification a few years ago, I was working on a project. I thought to myself, “Oh, I’m really busy now. Within 2 months time, I will close the project and then have some time on hand. That would be the ideal time!” I told myself.
What do you think actually happened? You guessed it! I was super busy with another project! After about a year and a half, I realized that I need to get out of my comfort zone and start working at that moment! Once I crushed all my excuses and started working, I finished my exam in less than a month! My regret about the whole thing is losing the compound growth in my career as I got certified about 20 months later! I missed growth on growth for those two years!!
What is your excuse for not starting on time and missing the compound growth for your entire life on the period that you postpone? Remember, don’t allow fear to cheat you. Don’t let the fear tell you that you are busy and take your decision on your behalf! Understand the trap and avoid it. However busy you are, however urgent work you have in front of you, either it can wait for some time or better still is tap your own capabilities. You have literally limitless capabilities to achieve whatever you want to achieve. Step out of your comfort zone and start preparing NOW
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