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GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE: 8 WAYS TO JUMPSTART A GROWTH MINDSET
Yesterday, I spoke with a friend who was feeling stuck. She expressed a strong need to get out of her comfort zone and into a growth mindset.
I listened as she described her feelings of depression, anxiety and a lack of motivation. She went on to communicate how it was affecting her work and family life. Her energy was undirected. She was overwhelmed and in need of grounding.
She felt ready to start a career that’s in alignment with her true passion, skillset and purpose but did not know what to do to or how to remove her fear and mental blocks. She asked for my insight into her situation.
Me, being who I am, was happy to offer support. This is what I do!
I shared with her what I am about to share with you. Here are 8 ways to get you out of your comfort zone and into a growth mindset.
WHAT IS A GROWTH MINDSET?
A growth mindset is when a person believes that through consistent effort and learning, one can increase their intelligence and change their personality, habits and ultimately their life.
The opposing concept is called a fixed mindset. A fixed mindset is when a person believes that they are what they are and no matter what they do, they will never be any smarter or better than where they are at currently.
This concept was coined by psychologist Carol Dweck, PHD in her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. If you haven't read it, check it out here.
Now that you know what a growth mindset is, let's get into how to move forward.
1. ACCEPT YOUR REALITY
To change anything in your life, you must first acknowledge and accept that there is something wrong in the first place. Once you do that, you can do something about it.
We tend to make excuses for why things are the way they are, but the truth is, our thoughts and daily actions create our outcomes. What we think creates the environment of our present experiences, which serves as the foundation for future experiences.
You are creating your reality with your thoughts in real time. If you believe that you have no power to change your circumstances, you are right. If you believe you can overcome anything, you are right. You will do things that are in alignment with what you believe.
Keep it real with yourself. If you don’t feel like doing something, just say what it is. Being candid with yourself is the first step to cultivating self awareness.
When you know the ‘why’ you know how to fix it. Instead of blaming it on someone or something else outside of you, take responsibility. Accept your reality so you can get to the root cause, fix it, and move on.
2. BE INTENTIONAL
When you're intentional, you are on a mission. You are actively working towards what you want to achieve. Now is the time to figure out exactly what you want to do about getting out of your comfort zone.
Here are a couple things to help you become more intentional while you cultivate your growth mindset:
• Set goals.
• Create a schedule.
• Visualization exercises.
• Meditation.
• Practicing gratitude.
• Deciding to remove or stop doing things that no longer serve you and
• Create a daily practice focused on practicing mindfulness.
Take your time with this. I suggest keeping a journal and keeping track of what you are doing and how it is impacting your life. Here is a free digital journal to help you out. Write a list of different techniques that resonate with your desired outcomes, try them out and do the work on a consistent basis.
I complete a daily, mindfulness writing exercise in the morning, where I reflect on the day before and set the intention for the day ahead. This is a part of my personal daily practice towards self-mastery and helps me stay in a growth mindset.
The intentions you set will help you to remember your ‘what’ and your ‘why’ to support you in your growth.
3. CLARIFY YOUR PURPOSE
You must know your “Why”. Your why is the reason you get out of bed in the morning. Just knowing what you want and what you must do – is not enough.
Us humans need a compelling reason to do something. If you need more money, that’s not a good enough reason to do anything. The money is an outcome, not a true reason.
Your reason is your purpose.
Our ‘why’ or purpose summons our limbic brain, which is responsible for our decision-making, emotions, and behavior.
Purpose drives our actions and behavior. Purpose gets us out of our comfort zone and motivates us to keep going each day.
Be sure to align your purpose with honoring your personal values. If you’re not making decisions and taking actions that support what’s important to you, you’re not fulfilling your purpose.
Who you are and what you stand for should mirror your purpose. Know thyself.
4. GET INTO ACTION
You can set intentions and know what you need to do to get out of your comfort zone, but you must take consistent, daily action to start making any type of progress.
Plan it out and set yourself up for success by prepping for your next day, the night before. Do what feels best to you, but no matter how you choose to go about your growth – GET INTO ACTION!
5. FOCUS ON GROWTH
Gaining a growth mindset is all about your focus. Focus on the things that will improve and scale your life and business or career, forward.
A couple of tips to maintain your focus on growth:
• Be open to new ideas and approaches. Allow others to provide inspiration to support your growth. You don’t know everything and a growth mindset is about increasing your knowledge. Listen to others. Take what is in alignment with your goals and feel free to leave the rest.
• Ensure you are prioritizing rest and recovery. You don’t want to be stressed and burned out, like the bottom of a rice pot. Rest and recovery is like putting your phone on the charger. If you have no energy, you will not be able to operate at your best.
• Cultivate healthy relationships that support your growth. Lets face it, some people are dream killers and not everyone will understand your desire and need to be the fullest expression of who you are. They are not supposed to. Don’t allow anyone to kill your vibe.
6. BE PATIENT
Starting on a path of growth is not easy. It takes time and daily effort so you have to be patient with yourself.
I am not going to lie to you - There will be times when you will get frustrated. You will want things to move at a faster pace, but you must keep in mind that change is a process. Every journey starts with one step.
Just know you are on the path and take things one step at a time. There is no rush. No competition. Remember how far you have come and lean on your purpose for motivation.
You’re going to make mistakes. Learning from them cultivates self mastery. You will not always feel like you are going to wake up and conquer the world.
This is natural. Everything ebbs and flows, especially our moods, emotions and progress. Just stay the course.
Use your tools, strategies and support during those tough moments so you can stay in alignment.
Daily meditation is a great way to maintain your calm and build patience. Remember, be gentle and patient with yourself. You are on the path.
GROUNDING GUIDED MEDITATION
CLICK HERE for a free guided meditation to use in your daily practice. Use it daily to enhance your overall well-being. Journey well.
7. BE FULLY PRESENT
With all the modern distractions we have, it's hard to be in the here and now.
Being present is a choice. It's not always easy to do but with all things, practice makes perfect.
Cultivating self-awareness is a great way to ensure you check yourself and stay present in your current reality. A couple of strategies to cultivate that self-awareness:
• Be in the moment.
That means focusing on one thing at a time. You are engaged. You are participating fully and actively listening. You are here.
• Breathe.
Take a moment to pause and breathe. Center yourself if you start to feel overwhelmed or frustrated. Try this before speaking to someone or before moving on to your next task. I have an excellent guided grounding meditation here, to help you stay present.
• Use ‘I AM’ Affirmations.
Affirmations are a great way to remind yourself of the present moment. You can create your own based on your purpose, goals or the behaviors you want to cultivate. If you need some inspiration, I have you covered here.
I AM AFFIRMATIONS
CLICK HERE to listen to these affirmations daily to reprogram your subconscious mind and reinforce a growth mindset.
8. BE YOUR OWN HYPE MAN
This is a personal practice that I use EVERY DAY. I am sorry for the caps. I promise, I am not screaming at you. This is probably the most impactful strategy I use to maintain my growth mindset.
You have to hype yourself up every day. You can look at external things around you for motivation but everything really starts and ends within.
There will be a time when you just need a good “I did that!”
Look into the mirror when you rise each day and repeat your I AM Affirmations. I literally play this daily.
This will support you to stay present and focused on your purpose. Remind yourself of who you are, your unique gifts and your abilities.
Cultivate a growth mindset and you will believe and know that you can truly do anything you wish to do.
Celebrate big and small wins. Even if your task is something you deem small, reward yourself and celebrate. Give yourself a little clap and bow. It doesn't have to be grand or expensive.
The point of being your own hype man is to show gratitude and appreciation towards yourself.
This is a way to acknowledge all of your efforts and the hard work you put in everyday on your journey of growth and development.
You have to fill your own cup and keep it full.
CONCLUSION
If you are at a time in your life where, you are tired of the mundane existence you’ve been living, it may be your higher self calling you to your true purpose.
Life situates us into a comfort zone because there are levels to everything. As you accomplish things and move to higher stations in life, you will come to realize this.
You are not just here to work, eat, sleep and repeat. You are here on a mission, for a purpose.
When you get into a growth mindset, it opens up all possibilities, internally and externally.
If you are ready to get out of your comfort zone and into a growth mindset, get a free Farewell, Comfort Zone goal worksheet and start on your path to experience your limitless potential.
Peace, Love and Prosperity to you.
Get into a Growth Mindset with this goal setting exercise Farewell, Comfort Zone.
FARWELL COMFORT ZONE
CLICK HERE for your goal setting exercise.
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