Stop letting the grass grow under your feet to get the competitive edge...

Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new- Brian Tracy

During the job interview, Ryan was asked as to why he want to leave a well reputed company. Ryan responded by saying, "I am very comfortable". The interviewer was puzzled and asked, "Isn't it what people look forward to while working?. Ryan said, "No. If one has to be successful, it is imperative that one faces a bit of stress that helps them to remain on their toes and that is what make them differentiate from the crowd and he further added. Being comfortable makes me very uncomfortable".

It’s quite common for most of us to be in the comfort zone of whatever we are doing and would like to continue doing this forever. This is fact that stares at us regularly and at times, we let our-self stagnate and do make efforts to push ours-self out of comfort zones in all areas of life.  In today’s competitive arena we have to have a clear cut edge over others in terms of experiential learning. Following points comes to my mind that could possibly help you stop letting the grass grow under your feet.

Ensure that you have a definitive long term plan : We need to have a definite plan and agenda in terms of our career progression. We should always review and optimize the plan of action on periodic basis. We need to ask ourselves “Are we getting the kick and satisfaction in whatever we are doing?” Is it challenging enough and what is the learning curve in it? What are the value additions we are doing and have done for ourselves? Whatever we are doing, is it taking us closer to our planned objective?

Invest into your personal growth- If you need help moving out of your comfort zone, it is imperative that one constantly invest in self development to further sharpen the strengths and bridge the gap when it comes to development needs. It is always good to have a mentor or coach a professional friend who takes genuine and sincere interest in your development and help you identify your blind spots.

Leverage your Gut feel and constantly Challenge yourself- The moment you are getting contended with your accomplishments and recognition- it’s a dangerous situation. You need to challenge yourself stating -what’s next for me? What should I do more? One needs to move on and ask for more. When you are at the helm of affairs and on top of your job, that’s the ideal time to ask for more and show the thirst for learning and willingness to accept new challenges to create a differentiation and outsmart competition.  One should always take a chance to harness the new skills and attributes – where the developmental need is. Nothing comes so easy in life- you have to slog to the fullest and burn midnight oil to achieve your milestones and career landmarks. You will have to do the things differently in case you want to be successful in your professional life. 

Move through apprehension with action- Use your fears to confront yourself to new heights. The best cure to fear is taking action. Take an audacious approach to anything you dread. 

A manager needs to facilitate and guide- While the onus is on individuals to come out of the “Comfort Zone”, at the same time, Managers also need to identify and facilitate, spot and inculcate the “next steps and way forward” for the individual. Managers will have to be selfless here, as they play a critical role in making their team successful. This will give them unbounded joy and will make them proud when their team members achieve their respective career aspirations. It is important for Mangers to take a genuine and sincere  interest in people development.  It does not come easy- it’s about making an investment and dividend would be the aura and success of the individual being guided upon. 

Positive self belief is a key – Everyone struggles with limiting thought patterns from time to time, but because thoughts drive feelings and behavior, it is important to learn to harness those negative thoughts and replace them with more reality-based, positive thoughts. It is absolutely true that when we choose to pay attention to the positive aspects of life, the thought pattern orients our mind-body system toward success-inviting behaviors.

Theo Pistorius has put it very succinctly, "If you don’t step out of your comfort zone and face your fears, the number of situations that make you uncomfortable will keep growing".