Masterful Mindsets – Do Something That Scares You
Question:
How often do you step out of your comfort zone? What in your life have you always wanted to do but have never done because you were afraid of taking the risk? When was the last time you tried something new or did something that scared you?
Action Challenge:
I was in a bookstore the other day and saw a book that had been created based on this week’s quote. Of course, I already had 6 books in my hands so I didn’t need another, but it was a pretty cool book. It reminded me that it had been a while since I had done something that scared me. Stepping out of my comfort zone is something that I try to challenge myself to do regularly. See, I often challenge my clients to step out of their comfort zones – whether it be taking a risk with their business or maybe trying something new that they have been afraid of doing. And I would never ask my clients to do anything that I am not willing to do as well. So I decided it was time to reinstate the challenge to myself and be diligent about doing it.
If we do not ever risk then we do not ever change, at least not much. And what happens then, we get stuck. We may think life is just “fine.” But we lose our passion. We lose our drive. And we get lost in the mundane.
Now, you don’t have to go skydiving or bungee jumping to do something that scares you. The funny thing is, the things we spend most of our time being scared of are things that won’t really hurt much more than our egos. As a matter of fact, most of us are much more afraid of things like failure, being rejected or making a “fool” of ourselves then anything really scary or life threatening.
When I was in college, I went bungee jumping on a spring break dare. I remember standing high above the water on the platform thinking, “They are going to have to push me. I am not jumping!” But then something inside just said, “Jump! It’ll be okay. You can do this.” And so, I jumped. And yes, it was scary but it was also amazing. Much like any other leap we take. When we are afraid to do something in our lives and we step out in courage. There’s a charge of exhilaration in the risk. There’s a surge of adrenaline and a feeling of invincibility. And then there’s a sense of freedom and pride in knowing that you did it.
It’s been over 20 years since I took that dare and made that jump, yet I still remember that exhilaration and that sense of accomplishment because I did something that scared me.
Don’t wait until you are broke to make a move in your business. Don’t wait until you are lonely to ask someone out. Don’t wait until you are sick to get healthy. Don’t wait until you’ve lost your sense of exhilaration and passion to do something new. Don’t wait until you wake up one day and realize that life has passed you by.
Most people wait till they are pushed before they jump. So I dare you – jump!
My challenge to you is to do something every day that scares you. Get out of your comfort zone. It keeps life from getting stagnant and boring. And no, you don’t have to go bungee jumping. Unless of course it’s something you’ve always wanted to do but have been too scared to do. But do take a risk. Risk making a fool of yourself, risk speaking in public, risk speaking up for yourself, risk love, risk failure. Try something new – a new way of doing something, a new workout, a new food, a new challenge. It doesn’t matter how big or how small… just take Eleanor Roosevelt’s advice and do something every day that scares you. It’s in those moments, that you not only get the energetic charge of exhilaration that you need to jump forward, but also the pride and sense of accomplishment that will give you more confidence in knowing you can do anything you can imagine. Even if it scares you…
***I want to hear from you… share your thoughts about this week’s topic below. And let me know what you’re doing every day that scares you.