Flexing Your Emotional Muscles
Many individuals with whom I have worked have lots of fears that hinder them from stepping out of their comfort zone. They do not realize that our emotions need exercise just like our muscles. The way we exercise our emotional muscles is by taking risks and trying new things, even hard things.
One of the main reasons people have a problem with stepping out of their comfort zone is the fear of failure. They have conjured up irrational thoughts that failure is such a horrible thing. Failure is not horrible at all but rather is a very necessary part of life that builds strength and character in us. If you have a negative connotation of failure, change it now. When you have fear of making a mistake or not fully accomplishing everything you want with your first attempt you are not willing to acknowledge you are human! In fact, I take issue with the word fail. As I see it, the only way we can fail is by not trying at all. Even if we try and fall short we learn new things that help us improve and enable us to continue to make adjustments that direct us toward our desired outcome. Anyone who has been successful in life with small or big things has stumbled and fell along the way. They picked themselves up, learned from their experience and made necessary adjustments to move them towards their desired goal.
Another reason why people don't try new or hard things is the belief that people will look down on them if they fail or initially fall short of their goal. Get rid of those irrational thoughts! 95% of people aren't looking at you critically or judging you. I believe that a majority of the people are very supportive and encouraging with your efforts. A smaller percentage are indifferent and aren't really paying attention. Finally, the smallest percentage, the remaining 5%, who may judge you harshly, are immature and way out of line and it's not worth a second of your time to pay attention to them!
Start flexing your emotional muscles today by stepping out of your comfort zone. Leave fear behind and start living your life!