How much will you pay to be comfortable? Is there any price too high for comfort? We all want the most comfortable seat on the airplane, the most convenient schedule and the comfort of a finely appointed office or home. We are willing to pay some price for it. But is there any price that’s too high?

Many of us live in a “Golden Jail,” a place in which we feel very comfortable, but that at the same time restricts us from moving on with life and from achieving our goals. I refer to the “Comfort Zone.”
This is a very familiar place where we can predict what will be and then act on “auto pilot.” We know what to expect and can operate here almost in our sleep. This is the “danger zone.”

We are so comfortable here that we do not acknowledge how much more we can achieve should we step out of this zone, even a little bit…
An example: Cold-calling. Many of us tense up just reading the words (“Me? Cold calling?”). We keep pushing off those sales calls/reference checking/reaching out for help, etc. We are willing to clear our entire desk and the file cabinet to avoid picking up the phone to make “the call.”

Yes, it is very comfortable in our little corner, hugging our “security blanket” and avoiding doing the tasks that we don’t enjoy.
But do we consider the heavy price we are paying for it? Can you visualize yourself AFTER this call or task is completed? What will you gain if you DO place the call? Perhaps the help you need will be on its way. Possibly the prospective assistant will be hired, and you will be free to invest your time in things that really matter to your bottom line or your family life… Can you imagine the outcome? And if you called and were rejected? In the worst-case scenario, you did not have what you tried to get before you called and now you do not have it either.

But it’s more than that – because your biggest gain is not just achieving your goal or accomplishing your task. Your biggest achievement is that you stepped out of your Comfort Zone! In taking action, you broke free of the imaginary jail you built for yourself! (Think: who handcuffed you or taped your mouth closed and forbid you from making those calls/ speaking with this person/seeking help/writing your book/tackling your next goal on the agenda, which is presently gathering dust…) This is a true accomplishment! Now you feel empowered!

The internal message is not just: “I can do it.” Rather, now it is: “I did it!” Once you try it, you will know that these handcuffs were purely in your mind. Now that you own the tools to move forward, you know that you can repeat the experience. You have gained inner freedom! As an aside, you have now discovered that it was not that comfortable in the Comfort Zone…

Take Action:

So, how much are you willing to pay for your prison? You are free to choose how to spend your time and your talents!

Make a list of 3 tasks you are constantly pushing off “just because.” Commit to take action now, on our community page, for at least one of those tasks in your next two waking hours.

We can’t wait for you to report back that you did it (and how you felt after you did)!

Good Luck!
Rachel