We’re all guilty of staying in our comfort zones, after all the clue is in the name… it’s like sitting in one of those cosy armchairs that envelopes you, all snug & comfortable… why would we want to move out of it?!  Sanity, that’s why!

Imagine never pushing yourself past your boundaries… never challenging yourself.  You owe it to yourself to do something different every once in a while, it can be anything, just to see what happens.

The majority of my goals this year are all about pushing myself out of my comfort zone – something I’m not comfortable doing but I know I must ;).  I have to push myself  not only as a Virtual Assistant, but also as a person.

So, what have I achieved so far?

Networking

Firstly the whole networking thing that I hated last year (see my earlier post here), is actually becoming a little easier.  I’m finding that I’m a bit more relaxed now and it’s not all about sell, sell, sell!  If people don’t like me then they’re not going to use my services… simple as that!

So I’m just being myself.  Anyone who knows me knows how difficult it is for me to stand in front of strangers & talk – it doesn’t matter how many people there are, it makes no difference…. I’ve always been an extremely good listener, and usually only participate if I feel passionate about the topic of conversation.  So, for a change, I’m pushing myself to engage people in conversation – I still find it awkward but practice makes perfect 🙂

Belief

I attended a two-day workshop last week and I was so far out of my comfort zone, I didn’t think I’d find my way back!   I have to say it was brilliant and has made me push myself even further (which I thought I’d never do!).  I learned things about being a business owner, and about myself which caught me by surprise.  It turns out that I actually do believe in myself and my business, who’d have thought!

They always say that rules are there to be broken, the same is to be said about comfort zones… they are there for us to step out of occasionally.  They are there to make us stronger, and if we end up learning new things about ourselves, then that can only be a good thing, can’t it?