As you may know I am a 4 hour work week addict and I wanted to post up some tips/tricks for getting out of your comfort zone and maybe push this concept towards a 2008 new years resolution for some of you.
Most people have a hard time going out and asking total strangers about a subject or even for a phone number. If this is hard for you, check out doing it for me blog post about 50 ways to start a conversation.
Be honest with yourself and put yourself out there, who knows what may happen. I find this a very important lesson that I am constantly thinking about. I find myself trying to get out of my comfort zone and meet new people as well as take more risk.
How to be a big risk taker
Challenge yourself everyday with a goal. I have recently spent a lot of time thinking (and writing, very important) my goals down and showing them off on the web. I am putting a challenge to myself out there on reaching these goals/dreams.
Being a risk taker can actually be safer then someone who is NOT. Think about this, if you never take a risk or play it safe, you could not only be missing out on a lot of things, but when it comes time to “differentiate” yourself from others, how do you show it. Say you have a steady job that you “feel” is secure, do you think if the company lost half it’s revenue in a year, they would still keep you on? I am going to pimp the blog of Steven Pavlina with a great article, 10 reasons you SHOULD NEVER get a job. Being a risk taker is hard, but also rewarding. You can learn a lot about something (including yourself) if you step out of your comfort zone and take action. A comfort zone is different for everyone, it might be asking someone for their phone number, or even saying “hi” to a person. By challenging yourself daily, you can “practice” this and not feel so much “pain” if you mess it up, or fail. I know in 2007, I have stepped out of my comfort zone a LOT and challenge myself daily at various networking events I attended. Moving out to Arizona was a big change for me as well as a great way to meet new people and change my life dramatically. Everyone needs change in their life at some point, it’s just a matter of whether you take that step out of your comfort zone for yourself or if someone else pulls the rug out from under you.
Being a risk taker can be exciting, rewarding, and fun, but it can also be miserable, heart breaking and devastating. People grow up missing out on all the wonderful things the world has to offer by not getting out of their comfort zone.
For some, their comfort zone may be going up and asking a hot (boy/girl) for their phone number or even to say hi! For others, it may be various fears, such as heights, rejection, and maybe even just the fear of failing. For those of you who see yourself stepping back or feeling uncomfortable in a given scenarios, take action and rise up. Do something that you would not normally do, I know I have been trying to do this as much as possible, to expand my comfort zone. How? Well let’s go through some of the simplest things.
To Quote Tim Ferris, “Excuse me. I know this is going to sound strange, but if I don’t ask you now, I’ll be kicking myself for the rest of the day. I’m running to meet a friend [i.e., I have friends and am not a stalker], but I think you’re really [extremely, drop-dead] cute [gorgeous, hot]. Could I have your phone number? I’m not a psycho – I promise. You can give me a fake one if you’re not interested.”
Take Action
Now go out to the mall, airport, or a place where there are a lot of people. Tim says to ask at least 2 people of the opposite sex each day. This shouldn’t matter if you’re a guy/girl 18 or 50, but the goal is to get out of the fear of asking, so the outcome of getting a phone number is not even important.
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Thank you for posting this article. I also try make a living without a job as much as humanly possible and this article helps tremendously. My appreciation to you is in the highest sense.
To show you my gratitude I would like to share with an article I found that also helps in regards finding your passion and making it your career: http://consciousflex.blogspot.com/2008/01/how-to-find-your-passion-and-make-it.html/
Would you agree it works this way too?
Thank you indeed, please keep up the incredible work!