Stretch out of your comfort zone?

Last week I delivered a presentations 7 Signs You Are Ready to Stretch and Actions to Take to a group of people in career transition.

The 7 signs we focused on were:

• You are restless – feeling an “itch” to do something more or different
• You are seeking – feeling a need for greater purpose in what you are doing
• You are bored – seeking greater passion in your work or life
• You are in a rut – feeling a need to change things up
• You are feeling a pull – feeling ready to act on an idea you have
• You have an opportunity – one that is out of the norm for you
• You are questioning – wondering what impact you are having

Some great conversation too place around these 7 signs.  Some thoughts and ideas the audience shared:

• Never close a door until you look through it first – when a new idea or opportunity shows up that is out of your comfort zone, take the time to review it with open eyes and an open mind
• Take notice of what actions you do on a daily basis that are within your comfort zone – begin to take daily small steps out of your comfort zone.  This will get you out of your rut, address your restlessness and may even spark new passion
• Volunteer – especially in an area that is out of your comfort zone – may also boost your passion, give you greater meaning and even spark an idea to pursue

What signs are you noticing that it’s time for you to stretch?

What thoughts do you have to get you out of your comfort zone?

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20 Year Vision

Several years ago I was completing some exercises as I was embarking on career and life exploration of my own.  One of exercises asked me to write my 20 year vision.  My first reaction?  20 years?? At the time I found it easy to plan my weeks and months, even loosely knowing what I wanted to accomplish that year, but the next 20??

After a brief challenge of wrapping my head around the concept that I could plan that far ahead, I began to imagine what I wanted my life to be like 5 years from then, 10 years, 15 – and I was able to get to 20.  So I sat at the table on my deck and began to write, letting my imagination run free, thinking about my big goals and dreams – especially those that had lain dormant for a while.

It was fun, soon the ideas began to flow so much so that a giddiness took over.  Could this really happen – I asked myself?  Why not I answered.  And that marked the beginning of my life and career transformation.

Now it’s your turn.  Whether you want to focus on 1 year, 5, 10 or 20 – begin to let your imagination run free – remember the dreams of your childhood, uncover those you never dared dream and create a realm of possibility currently beyond your imagination.  Then take it to paper, letting all your thoughts form words and images.

Your vision for the future is limited only by your imagination!

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Simplifying

It has been quite a while since I have written a blog post.  These last few months have been a sort of “time out” for me.  I stayed focused on my clients and some other business matters, but have taken some time off to focus on my own wellness.

At first it was uncomfortable to take so much time off.  I worried about my business and my clients, wondering how I could manage everything.  But you know what, it all worked out!

I took some days off, lightened my schedule other days, and had some full days as well.  This balance allowed me to reflect, to create, to breathe and to focus on what mattered most, my health.

Did everything fall apart because I said no to some things?  No it didn’t. Were there problems in my business because I moved some appointments further forward than I prefer?  No there weren’t.

What did this experience teach me?  That it is OK to pace myself differently. That it is more than OK to take time to breathe and reflect and renew.  That  it is OK to just simplify sometimes!

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Working With My Hands

One side of me that I am very passionate about is working with my hands.  There is something very zenlike about diving hands-first into a project that gets me dirty – and using different parts of my brain (and body) than I use in my work as a coach.

Home remodeling/organizing projects are what I love most.   You may have heard me talk about gardening and painting  (both artistically and the rooms in my home) but the past couple of weeks I finally learned how to use power tools!

My husband and I reorganized our garage and in doing so, I learned to use a miter saw, table saw and drill press.  All tools I have watched him use for years, but never tried.  I’ve always helped him with projects, but this time I took greater ownership of doing some of the pieces of the project myself – very empowering and fun!  I know have greater confidence in my abilities and can now tackle more projects on my own.

What have you always wanted to try?  Are you ready to dive in?

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Never Say Never

You know I am always trying new things…well this time it is running!  I used to say that “running was not for me” or “I can’t run it will hurt my knees (my knees hurt when I walk a lot)”  Well, much to my suprise – running makes my legs feel fanstastic!

How did I get started on this new path?  I started working with a personal trainer at my gym for a few months and early on in our workouts she asked me, as part of one workout, to get on the treadmill and run for 3 minutes.  I said “I don’t run”.  In her typical fashion, she just looked at me and that said it all.  So I got on the treadmill and said I would try it.  I did and found I could!

It snowballed from there, doing a few minutes more each time, alternating with walking for a minute or two.  The other day while at the beach I ran (at a slow pace) for 50 minutes – only walking for a couple of minutes at several intervals.  Then a few days later I ran for 25 minutes straight! These were big accomplishments for me.

Now I actually look forward to running each morning!  This is incredible to me and very exciting.   So…never say never!

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Learning and Connecting

You have heard me talk about the importance of continually learning and connecting.  This is true whether you are a business owner like me, in career transition or just seeking to enhance your life.

One great way to learn and connect is through LinkedIn Groups.  Here members can post questions, ideas and resources – and start interesting and thought provoking conversations about all different topics.  It is a fantastic way to learn what your colleagues and connections are thinking about, what works for them and what matters to them. 

You may already be a part of some of these groups but one I recently found that is a great help to those in career transition is called Career Change Central.  Here career and HR professionals share different perspectives and strageies for success.

Which groups are you are part of?

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Small Acts

“There is no act that is too small to make a difference”  I heard this statement in a commercial talking about making change in your community and the world.  It also relates very well when you are moving through a transition in your life or undergoing any personal or professional growth.

All transitions happen one step at a time.  Some steps are so small we barely feel like we have taken them, others are (or feel like) giant leaps but each one counts!  

Small acts within a transition can be a phone call that broadens your knowledge, a chance meeting that opens your eyes, a moment or experience that develops your confidence.  Each of these small acts build upon each other and have tremendous impact on your growth.

What small acts will you take today on your path of personal or professional growth?

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Saying Yes

In the movie Yes Man with Jim Carrey – he starts out as a “No Man”, saying no to every request, opportunity and offer from his boss, his clients (he is a loan officer so it’s easy to say no) and his friends.  

I was suprised by how much I saw myself in this character.  Though I don’t always say no I find myself wanting to, especially when I overschedule my days….

As the title implies, Jim Carrey soon becomes a Yes Man, this time saying yes to every opportunity and question that comes his way, nomatter who or where it comes from…and he truly begins experiencing his life like never before.

When we say Yes to opportunity, expecially opportunity that looks, sounds or feels very different than our norm, it opens up a part of ourselves and brings an aliveness to our existence. 

Can we truly say yes to everything, nomatter what it is?  That’s not the idea.  The idea is to consider saying Yes to what initially may seem uncomfortable or different, especially if it may bring us closer to our vision for what we want in life.  What we are saying is Yes to life!

What would you like to say Yes to?

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Spreading our roots

My husband and I love plants.  We have an abundance of them in our home, some close to 30 years old (started by my mother).

Indoor plants get potbound, meaning they have outgrown the container they are living in and need more room to grow.   When transplanting, the norm is choosing one pot size larger, giving the plant just enough space to spread it’s roots and continue to thrive.

As humans, we all need that too.  When we begin to feel stifled (see 7 Clues You are Ready to Stretch) we droop and may feel thwarted – and we know it’s time to spread our wings a bit. 

Our equivalent of one pot size bigger?  Small steps outside our comfort zone to breathe, stretch and grow… 

How will you stretch this week?

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Ready to Stretch

In my latest article “7 clues you are ready to stretch out of your comfort zone” I talk about how our comfort zone is a space or structure we build/create that surrounds us and is filled with all that is familiar.  Our safe place that help us feel grounded and secure in the world.  There are times in each of our lives when we outgrow our current comfort zone.  Here are the clues that let me know when I was at the edge of mine – ready to step through it.

I began questioning the impact I was having in my life and work.

After a tragedy in my family, I started to question my life and where it was going.  What difference was I making?  These questions helped me take a closer look at my work and at myself to see what worked, what didn’t, what was missing and where I was compromising too much of myself – especially how I was holding myself back.  Slowly the questions turned to answers.

I started paying attention to the pull I had been feeling to live in a different environment.

For years I felt the pull to another place, another lifestyle and environment.  Inside I had ideas of what it looked like and felt like.  The pull got stronger as the years went by until it was so strong I decided to take action to stretch.  My husband felt the pull too – and once that happened, the joint force pulled us through our fear.

What are your signs?

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