This week my wife and I have been catching up on a few shows that we like on Fox.  One of them is called Kitchen Nightmares with World renowned chef Gordon Ramsey.  The premise of the show is to take poorly run restaurants and watch Ramsey swoop in and save the day.  But he doesn’t do this with kid gloves, but instead he hits things head on.  He’s more like a drill sergeant than a chef.

The last episode I watched there was a chef of a restaurant called ‘The Handlebar’.  She was very open about the fact that she wasn’t a ‘real chef’ and you could see her insecurity.  As the show went on and Ramsey stirred up new business for this lack luster restaurant, they had their busiest night ever.  During this time you get to watch as the chef scurries around in the kitchen, muttering to herself words of frustration and yet not communicating with the other chefs or the wait staff.  She ends up getting far behind, over and under cooking many dishes and making a disaster of things.  Later in the show Ramsey teachers her the value of communication and the willingness to share the load in the kitchen.

As I watched her on that horrible night, I thought about myself in my technology consulting business.  Sometimes I feel like her as I get pulled in 5 directions at once and struggle to stay focused on the tasks at hand.  I’ve realized over the years that it is my ‘Comfort Zone’ that often times keeps me from taking control of my life, my business and the pursuit of my goals.  It feels uncomfortable for me to tell people ‘NO’.  I know that I need to lay clear guidelines and yet will find myself being wishy-washy instead.

Like that chef, I end up taking it out on myself in frustration.  Instead of digging my feet in and doing exactly what I feel is the best thing to do in any particular situation, I will opt for the push over mentality instead.

So this is the picture of what I would call a ‘Poisonous Comfort Zone’.  It’s a barrier in my life that not only holds me back, but infects the rest of my life with frustration.  I’m being re-active instead of pro-active. So my goals have been to lay down my own guidelines in my business and stop letting others dictate things for me.  I have been focusing on stepping out of the comfort I get by going with the flow and clearly defining my actions and intentions in my business.

It’s been a bumpy road, but I have made much progress.  Changes like these don’t come easy, but their worth the effort.

This week we focus on progress.  I want you to think about what progress you’ve made in your struggle with comfort zones and what things you can do to go even further to define new boundaries.  Let us know how far you’ve come as well as where you’d like to be.  I know that for me, I want to get to a place where I don’t have to think twice about clearly defining my path no matter who I’m dealing with and what the situation.

So what is the image you have when you try to imagine your life with no boundaries?  What is holding you back and what are you going to do about it?

First, let me start by stating that I believe that comfort zones are a great thing and essential to good health.  We all need these ‘places’ to unwind and escape.  What I am concerned with are those areas in our life that are holding us back and keeping us from meeting our goals (or from even setting them).  I am talking about those things that we just can’t seem to get ourselves to do because we are either afraid, lazy, unmotivated, etc…  Maybe it’s the fear of meeting new people that is keeping you from making the contacts that you need to help take that next step in your job or business.  Maybe you want to get into shape but you don’t exercise because it’s ‘too hard’.  Or maybe you’ve always wanted to see certain places in the World but you just can’t seem to get in gear and make it happen.

Whatever the case, I want you to weed out those parasitic habits and restrictive behaviors that are holding you back.  This week I want to you to chew on this question, figure out what your ‘problem areas’ are so you will be ready for next week when we work on ‘The Challenge’ and start setting goals and making changes.

Then, after you have a clear understanding of what’s ‘got to go’, I want you to post it here as well as read what others have posted.  And as the week goes by my hope is that we will have a better understanding of everyone’s struggles and needs in this particular area.  This is key because it is this knowledge that will allow us to support, encourage and give advice to each other.  As you can see, the goal here is to grow not only as an individual, but as a community as well.  It is the support of a large group of people that will maximize our potential for success as well as give us the opportunity to be a part of others’ growth as well.  So it’s a win-win situation that only requires your participation!

Here is a list of some of the things you can do to knock you out of your comfort zone and breaek the boundaries that are keeping you from reaching your goals.

1-Change up your routine.

I have already posted about the importance of having a routine.  But sometimes it’s good to break it once in a while to keep from getting too comfortable.  So pick a day to change things up and experience something new.

2-Meet a neighbor.

A great way to get out of your comfort zone while building relationships is to pick a house in your neighborhood and go knock on the door.  If someone answers you can just say that you wanted to meet some of the nice people living in your neighborhood.  If no one answers you can just go to the next house and try again.  (If you live in the country and have no neighbors just think of other ways to meet new people while stepping out of your comfort zone.)

3-Join a club or committee and get involved.

Look in a local paper or go online and find out what kinds of clubs and committees are available to join.  Pick something that interests you but stretches your limits at the same time.  And then get involved.  Don’t just join, but be a regular contributor and try to help it grow.

4-Take a short trip without planning it.

Pick a few days that you have off and decide on a location for a short trip.  But other than packing the essentials, leave without a plan.  Decide as you go, where you will stay and what you will do.  This is a great way to not only stretch yourself but to enjoy a new adventure at the same time.

5-Take on new responsibilities at work.

Be willing to take on new roles and new responsibilities in your job or business.  Decide to not only do them, but to do them well.  One of the keys is not to just make the change but to do it mindfully and with the goal to excel.

6-If you don’t exercise; DO -and- If you do exercise; Double it!

Exercise is essential to good health and a sense of well being, but pushing yourself to go the extra mile is a great way to shake things while building your confidence at the same time.  If you don’t normally exercise, now is the time to start.  Don’t feel like you have to run a marathon.  Just 15 to 20 minutes of lite jogging or brisk walking is all you need to start.  If you already have an exercise routine, look at this as an opportunity to take it to the next level. If you are running 2 miles a day, try 4.  If you are biking 20 miles, then go 40.  This might sound like too much (and you may have to work up to it) but I know you can do it and I know that you will be glad you did.

7-Try some new foods.

This is a fun step.  Look through a cookbook or go online and find some recipes and types of foods that you have never tried.  Then go to the grocery store and get what you need to make these new edibles.  Best case scenario, you find some new foods you like.  Worst case, you broadened your horizons and that’s the main purpose anyway.

8-Set goals that require BIG changes.

Try to set some goals that force you to make some big changes.  Don’t just look at what you think you can do but push yourself to the limits to accomplish the things you want to do (and I know you can do).

9-Learn something new (that you wouldn’t normally learn).

Pick a subject that you wouldn’t normally be interested in and start to learn about it.  Pop online and do a quick search, read some Wiki’s and push your mind to learn something that may not interest you.  This is not only a great brain exercise but a way to expand your understanding of this World.  If you always focus on what you enjoy (which most of us understandably do) you will be greatly limiting your knowledge.  And what I’ve found is that you sometimes even start to enjoy those things that you never thought you would.

Note:  This is also a great way to connect with a wider range of people.  The more you know, the more chance that you will have something to talk about with ‘your neighbor’.

10-Take a hobby to the next level.

Pick one of your hobbies or regular activities and find a way to take it to the next level.  You might try to monetize something or compete with others in that area.  Whatever you decide to do try to make it something that will challenge you.  And who knows, you may find a way to make money while doing something you enjoy.

This is just a short list of some of the ways you can stretch yourself and broaden your horizons.  I hope you get something out of it and feel free to add to it with some of things you’ve done to break free from your comfort zone.