We all like to stay in our comfort zone, in our box. This is where it is safe. We have the emotional and technical skills in this space. We know everything and can control and influence everything in this box.

Consider the parents who want to keep their children safe from harm. The parent will do what they can to protect the child however, will stretch the child to learn to walk, to ride a bike, to learn to swim and learn other key life skills. So why do we stop learning and stretching and trying new things when we are older? Are we fearful of our emotional safety? What would our family say? What would our friends say? How would this affect my image with my peer group? Many of these questions create uncertainty, fear and hold us back from trying new things.

Let me describe another life skill, it involves a great deal of eye to hand co-ordination, your hands, feet and body need to be perfectly aligned, you need to have quick responses, you need to assess dangers very quickly, you need to consider the local weather conditions, mechanics, fuel economy, breaking distance and in addition you need to navigate to an unknown destination using satellite navigation. Yes – driving a car is very complex and requires many skills. We all drive lethal weapons that can maim or kill however many of us took this challenge as a perfectly normal life skill that we had to learn. For many of us there was no choice. Like the parent that encouraged their child to walk, we did not give up to try to learn to drive a car. We pushed through and were successful. Why not try this with other areas of your life?

Although a box can provide safety it always stops our growth. We will only grow as big as our box, this is our mindset and limiting belief. It is difficult to get out of this mindset because this is our reality. Many times we need an external friend, partner, teacher or coach to challenge us to do something new. Did the parents ever say to the child – well you are not so good at walking, just give up and we try something else. NO. Did you give up learning to drive a car when it became difficult or did the excitement of independence and freedom push you to succeed – YES.

Apply this to other areas of your life. Learn a new technical skill, new sport, new personal challenge in your life. Remember the bigger the challenge you set yourself the more you will grow. Set a new goal today and tell someone about it. They will be your accountability partner to ensure you follow through.

What’s the worst that could happen?   Just do it!

Stuart

Making Steps and Leaving Footprints…