Given the option of an exotic trip to Tahiti or staying home, I’d choose to stay home.
Uh, okay, well, no. I would go to Tahiti… but I’d hate the traveling! The airport, the luggage, the shuttle, the crowds, the plane, the hassle, the stress. Even the planning, packing and making sure everything at home is taken care of while I’m gone … ugh! It’s just not worth it.
Ironically, I really love staying at hotels! Really fancy hotels… with room service.
But still, even if I could be magically transported anywhere in the world, I’d choose to stay home. I love being in my own cozy cave where I can sleep in my own bed, carouse with my kitties, drink my favorite tea and be in my most comfy clothes. I really am a certifiable homebody.
So, why am I going to Miami for 4 days?
To get a mindset makeover.
Really.
I’m going to Fabienne Fredrickson’s “The Inner Game of Abundance Mindset Retreat.”
Because here’s the deal. As much as I hate traveling, I still do it. I do it when the payoff is greater than hassle. If there is a juicy, honey-glazed carrot at the end of the stick, I will break out of my comfort zone and go galloping after it. Most of the time.
See, I really didn’t want to go to Miami for this Retreat. But something told me I simply had to. My inner knowing was kicking my homebody butt and screaming, “Girl! Get yourself there!” And when my inner knowing speaks, I listen. Again, most of the time.
I’m starting to become more and more aware of when I pass on opportunities because of my attachment to my comfort zone. It could be something as easy as going uptown to hear some live music or something as involved as a 4-day trip to a hot, muggy city. I’m paying attention to the list of excuses that automatically file through my head when I’m presented with an opportunity that demands I move out of my comfort zone in order to enrich my life or grow my business.
This Mindset Retreat is a perfect example. Originally, I came up with a depressing list of excuses as to why I couldn’t go. It cost too much. I just got two new kittens who desperately need their mama (yeah, right!). I need to reserve my travel time to go visit my mother in California. Shouldn’t I wait until I find a conference that’s even more attractive and spend my time and money on that?
All of these excuses were trying to help me find a way to stay in my cozy comfort zone. Once I realized this, it was easier to shush those excuses, listen to my inner knowing, and just do it!
So, let me ask you, what does it take for you to step out of your comfort zone? What can compel you to do something new and strange or even a bit scary? Is it when you know the payoff is worth the risk?
I have a friend, Scott, who is deathly afraid of flying even though he loves to travel. He faces his intense fear and discomfort every time he takes a trip that requires flying, and he does it because he knows he’s going to love the experience… once he gets off the plane! The payoff outweighs his fear.
When I was at Fabienne’s afternoon event in New York City a few months ago, she said something that hit me right between the eyes. She said, when you ask, it is given… and it is given in the form of an opportunity. If you ask for more money, you will be given an opportunity that, if accepted, will allow you to have more money. If you ask for love and connection, stay awake and aware, because you will be given an opportunity that will lead you to more love and connection.
See, the problem is, when we ask for something, like more clients or more money or more time, we don’t feel like our request has been answered unless it appears in the form of more clients, more money or more time. But really, the answer to our request often comes in the form of an opportunity. The chance to learn something or do something that would allow us to make more money or have more clients or time.
We often refuse these opportunities because they almost always ask us to step outside of our comfort zone, which triggers our own at-the-ready list of excuses, like “I don’t like to travel” or “I don’t have enough money” or “there’s not enough time.”
Poof! The answer to our request passes us by and we get to keep complaining about “not enough” as we stay stuck in our cozy (confining, suffocating) comfort zone.
So, as I step outside of my comfort zone to go to Miami (because, dang it, I’ve been asking for a way to remodel my money mindset AND meet some savvy entrepreneurs who mean business when it comes to serving their clients, growing their businesses and upgrading the way they think), I ask you to do the same. Today. Right now.
What action could you take today that would feel a little risky, that would demand you move out of your comfort zone, yet move you or your business forward? Maybe it’s making that phone call you’ve been avoiding. Or asking someone for help… and then receiving that help!
Maybe you have an opportunity to learn something new or hire someone who could help you, and you’ve been putting it off because it means you’d have to stretch your budget or your schedule. Can you let yourself make that stretch… if the payoff meant more money, more success, more satisfaction or more free time in the long run?
Can you step out of your comfort zone when it comes to communicating with your tribe or your prospective clients? Can you reveal a secret… one that feels a little scary but could help others make a positive change? Can you make an outrageous offer, one that makes your stomach flip over yet has the potential to help a lot of people?
Remember, you can’t fail if you follow your heart, your gut, and take action. It may not turn out exactly the way you’d hoped, but you win every time you follow your instincts, take a chance and make a move! If you ask for help, what’s the worst that can happen? If you make that phone call and get turned down, so what? If you make a mistake, big deal! Go make another one. And then tell the world! If someone says no, ask someone else.
Where can you say “yes” instead of “no” to yourself?
Take a tiny risk. Move out of your comfort zone… just a bit. Silence those excuses when opportunity comes a’knocking. And let me know how it goes by leaving a comment below this post, okay?