Category: Comfort Zone - Coach to Expect Success

6 Reasons To Step Outside Your Comfort Zone

10/29/2018

Came across an interesting article that I gave to my students for one of their weekly blog assignments. This article titled "6 Reasons To Step Outside Your Comfort Zone" - by Carolyn Gregoire had some great points to it. Find the article HERE.

Now this subject about getting out of my comfort zone has been one that I've been hearing a lot of lately. It has been a major part of my conversations with some friends of mine along with hearing the message over and over again in different podcasts too.

When we step out of our comfort zone there can be tremendous risk involved which can lead to more worries & stress. But to me, there seems to be enough of these things in our world right now and I have tried to look upon it as opportunity rather than just sitting back and letting things happen to me and I don't do anything about it. To me, taking risk to grow and get better is a good trade off compared to the misery and worry about reacting to all the stuff going on in the world.

There are new doors that open up for us when we get out of our comfort zone along with meeting new people too. We learn new things about ourselves along with picking up some new skills at times too. A little anxiety or stress can help us achieve more in our lives. The article also brings up the fact (and I agree) that we can't be getting out of our comfort zone 24 / 7. There are times where it is totally ok for us to be in our comfort zone and relaxing and unplugging for sure. That's exactly what I did this weekend and I got to say, I liked it. ;-)s No

Getting Out Of Our Comfort Zone

3/13/2018

"A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there." - unknown

This is something that came across my desk the other day and I knew I had to get some thoughts out there on it. It made an impact on my from the very first second I saw it and I knew others could check it out too. So, I had it as my quote of the week for my students at school. I figured out that if I'm asking them to write some thoughts down about things like this, the lease I can do is to try and do it too.

Getting out of my comfort zone is something that is loooonnnngggg overdue for me. Funny thing, just the simple fact of doing my blog on at least a weekly basis is something getting me out of my comfort zone. So this is helping me tremendously. I know that this will lead me to get out of my comfort zone for my podcasts, getting some interviews going, getting some things written for my book, an email promotion I need to work on, etc.

From an article that I found: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/251594 one of the points that this article points out is to focus on the why. Why am I thinking of getting out of my comfort zone in the first place? What is the driving reason for me to get uncomfortable? If that reason why is powerful enough it will help push me through those moments of fear and apprehension so that I can move past it and get the thing done. The Power Of Why is so important. If I can work on having that, than any "how" that I have to go through will be easier :-)

Big-Time Growth Awaits Outside Of The Zone!

5/30/2017

"All progress takes place outside the comfort zone." — Michael John Bobak

This is something that has taken me awhile to latch onto. I’ve made tremendous progress throughout my life when getting out of my comfort zone. It’s just that most of the times; I’ve not gotten out of my comfort zone enough to really do the things that I know I want to do.

Since 2014 when I had both of my surgeries (knee replacement & back surgery), that was the first recent instance that has gotten me out of my comfort zone. I’ve had to make adjustments, to think differently, and start to realize the changes that I need to make in my life in many different areas. My physical and mental health has to improve along with my relationship health too; starting with my wife, kids, and family. There are many other relationships that I need to work on as well and I need to stop putting it off. These things are helping me to get out of my comfort zone in a big way.

I also got some help in 2016 by interviewing for two positions that I did not end up getting. The high school that I work at had an Assistant Principal job opening along with bringing back our Dean of Students position too. The entire process helped to give me so much confidence in that it made thing become very clear as to the direction I want to take my career and my life. I can honestly say without reservation that I’m at so much peace with the fact I didn’t get either of those 2 positions. First, the right candidates got them over me. They are the BETTER candidates that will help our school more than I could.

Second and more important, this process has given me the kick in my butt that I’ve tried to give myself over the years that I need to see my future and the direction I NEED to take it. As Les Brown has said – it’s hard to see outside the picture when I’m inside the frame. The time aspect has been a big part for me to connect with and understand; both from the parts that the new positions would have taken up more and different amounts of time along with that for me personally, time is running out as to things I want to (and need to) get done in my life.

So, as I begin to take these lessons and apply them to the things I need to work on, it gives me great energy and excitement for what’s to come. It pays big dividends to get out of our comfort zones, get a little scared and uncomfortable and then realize that you are not only okay for doing it, but that you are actually coming out better for going through it. I’m not sure if you have found the same results for getting out of your comfort zone and if you have not, you need to try it. There really is no sense to go through our lives living timid and being scared to work on things that are connected to our hearts. Life is supposed to be a learning & growing adventure. I’ve found that really only happens outside of the picture frame. Outside our comfort zone is the place to be for me, how about you?

It's Planting Season - Always Do Your Best

4/2/2016

"Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later." -- Og Mandino

It's great to see Spring coming around a little bit more everyday. Even with some colder weather coming in during the start of April, it's still nice to see it lighter out later along with some green coming back all around outside.

I am reminded about this quote seeing that I have been constantly reminding my students about doing their best for years. As I have always told them, I need the same advice for myself that I give to them. The things that we all do now, both good and bad will be what affects our future. There have been some things that I have gone out of my comfort zone for lately, and I need to continue doing that. It has become more exhilarating for me compared to causing me to be nervous and getting worked up about.

That's the one thing that my students have helped me with so often over the years. When I talk to them and hear parts of their stories about overcoming challenges and difficulties, about getting out of the comfort zone; that helps me so much so that I can try and do the same. Of course I tell my students the sooner they make these changes, the better off they will be. I also tell them that since I'm much older than they are, most of the time it's more difficult for me to make those types of changes.

I think it means more to me however (and others that are older) since we realize all the time that has gone by along with the amount of time we have left in life too. For younger people they may think that they have plenty of time to start things later, that they don't have to do it right now. This ties into a saying from John Fuhrman about every choice we make in life either takes us towards our goals and dreams or takes us further away. So we do harvest later what we choose to do today. It's up to us as to what we will be harvesting.

Find Things In Life To Be Passionate About - And Stay Connected To Them!

7/21/2015

"Find something you're passionate about and stay tremendously interested in it." – Julia Child

This has always been one of my many messages to my students throughout the years and for them to combine those things that they are passionate about into a career if they can. I have reminded myself and others about this thought, as it’s also good for us adults too. If it can work out to be our career too, that’s a bonus for sure.

There have been plenty of examples, heck everyday there are plenty of reminders about how short life really is. In fact today I found out about two example from a friend who has a family member battling a serious medical condition and another friend telling me about someone that we both know being in a horrible car accident. This is just another example on how we need to spend our time here on earth doing things that mean something to us and to others. To remember to do those things that has a positive impact on us and others. We need to follow our heart and has Scott Smith says, we need to do what makes our heart sing!

Now for adults who are working in a career that maybe they don’t hate but they would be the first to say it certainly doesn’t make their heart sing, they need to remember whatever you are passionate about doesn’t necessarily have to be connected to your career. It can be a hobby for sure, but anything that you are passionate about should be a little bit of a priority to spend some time with. Many times it can be done here and there and it doesn’t have to have a set schedule to do either. One of my few things that I have a lot of passion about is coaching basketball. Heck, just being around the game has been important to me since 1977 when I was 11 years old. Started playing the game and then my dad got me into coaching around 1982 helping him with his CYO girl’s team.

This conversation came up with my good friend Don, who I’m blessed to be coaching with now again as we are both assistants on our local high school’s girls varsity team. He told me just the other day on how much coaching means to him and how his heart is connected with it and how it helps him focus and have energy for other areas of his life. This can happen in many ways other than basketball and the key is it can happen with anyone who looks to make that connection with things they are passionate about.

So what is it for you? What are some things that make your heart sing? Have you been thinking about trying to do more of those things? Maybe you are trying to find a little bit of time to do some of those things? Or maybe it’s something that you want to make a bigger change with as it might affect or even change your current career?? I was just talking with my sister-in-law today and my wife and I have spoken about this too – how difficult it is to get out of our comfort zones. I need to do that even more now. Is this idea or thing that you have a passion for involve getting out of your comfort zone?? Try it. I know I need to do just that.

Change Your Life Today - Don't Put It Off

5/25/2015

"Change your life today. Don't gamble on the future, act now, without delay." – Simone de Beauvoir

As I got up this morning and the sun was coming into our home, I got to thinking about a few things. Of course most of this thinking started up with my first cup of coffee which always helps. I looked around at our kitchen which has changed recently. After almost 18 years in our home, my wife decided it was indeed time for a change. It all started when Don, a good friend of mine came over to visit me after my back surgery. He and my wife started talking about our kitchen and how he had started remodeling his with new counter tops. Well that got my wife off and running with the same idea for our house.

Well fast forward to 7 months later and our home has a totally different feel to it. The kitchen wall paper is gone (with my wife doing it all her self – that was a HUGE job) and now not only do we have new counter tops, but also a brand new deep-pumpkin type of color in our kitchen. The warmth and positive vibes I get from it are amazing as the colors bring out everything in the kitchen, but also the rest of our house as well.

This has not stopped in side. Our patio has a small makeover too. My wife moved the patio table to the other side, and set up more of a sitting area on the side where the table was at originally. We had an old love-seat that swings a little bit that she re-painted and found some new cushions for it along with 2 of our other chairs, and BAM – a whole new look outside too.

Now these are all physical changes to our home – but the results have an amazing affect on us and our family. It has helped me to get a new perspective on things along with helping my wife to have a new outlook and re-energized perspective on our lives here in our home. Seeing my wife excited and have purpose is amazingly connecting for me to her. I see these things that she is doing and this connects to her. It is connecting with her inner-peace to have a relaxing, warm and loving home to spend time in and this transfers to all other aspects of our lives. It’s also very cool to have this connect with today being our 25th wedding anniversary too.

This coincides with a theme that has been in my heart as of late and that is to get engaged in my life. To stop putting things off and keep looking to change and get better by stepping out of my comfort zone. For also me knowing that I need to keep investing in my wife, my marriage, my family, my friends, my interests and joys in life that have to do with teaching and helping others; along with more investments in my future which connects with all of these items.

You see, our lives change every day. So why not get on the “change train” and start steering it where we want it to go. Yes our lives do change every day as we get older, other people’s choices and decisions affect us, the weather changes, the world and the events going on affect us – but the key is we get the choice on how it affects us along with the choice on how we want to change ourselves and the world we live in. My choices affect my family, friends, students, the places that I work at, and most of all myself. Those choices of mine also affect the future of all these areas too. So, please realize the same is happening for you as well. It starts today, for today is all that we have right now. What is one small thing to do today that will help you change?

Real Progress Happens Outside Our Comfort Zone - Quote Of The Week

3/9/2015

"All progress takes place outside the comfort zone." – Michael John Bobak

This has been a reoccurring topic lately. Getting out of our comfort zone really is the place where things happen. It’s not a coincidence, it’s not luck, it’s just one of the many laws of success that present themselves to us throughout life.

As I sit here in my quiet kitchen on a sunny Saturday morning having a cup of coffee of course, I can’t help to be drawn to thoughts on how much I’ve avoided getting out of my comfort zone in my past. Parts of my thoughts are of course how I wished I didn’t do that. How I should have pushed through my limiting beliefs about doing things that made me feel uncomfortable and where I could be today if I would have done those things.

As I take a sip of my coffee I have quickly adjusted my thoughts as I look outside at the sunshine on all the snow we have, and I notice the snow that has disappeared from on top of our patio table. A thought pops into my head about how things are improving weather wise and that spring is coming with warmer temperatures and the snow will be gone soon enough. That also got me thinking about the fact that I cannot sit here and feel bad about past mistakes. That I know better enough to capture the lessons from those past instances and apply them to the new beginnings that are in front of me now.

I had a couple of great conversations with a few students throughout the past week. A couple of current seniors, along with a couple of alumni that I saw who were on their spring breaks from college. Our conversations were in part about this very point about getting out of your comfort zone and that’s where great things start happening. It’s about the outstanding people that come into our lives when we get of our box of comfort and venture forward in new directions. It’s about the new situations that present themselves if we have our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts open; for that’s the only way we will recognize them. I even mentioned to one of my current seniors, that I too need to follow my own advice. I need to get out of my comfort zone and look in new directions for things that will further my passion in life to help and serve others.

It sure does help to have that idea of what indeed is your passion(s) in life. What gets you fired up? What wakes you up early with those thoughts and ideas that start coming into your head where you can’t sleep anymore and you have to get up to get going on your day? One of the other topics I spoke about with a current senior was the fact they didn’t know what they wanted to do after graduation and how scared they were that it’s coming so fast. That’s the part about that we need to keep moving forward with doing things that we can learn new things, meet new people and have our eyes, ears, hearts and minds open to the new things that will come into our lives.

This senior did something right. He said he changed his schedule around a little bit in order to take a couple more challenging classes instead of those that many people suggest to take that won’t challenge him too much. This was another moment for me where I recognized that this student just became a teacher and taught me a lesson that I needed. I too need to do some things that not only challenge me but will open new doors of possibilities in my life. Those new possibilities will not only affect me personally but could also positively affect others in my life that could benefit from me getting out of my comfort zone.

So, as I grab another cup of coffee while my house is still quiet, I will look at today to see what are some other small things I can do to get out of my comfort zone and get going on some things that will pay some huge benefits soon or in the future. What can you do with today that will help you move beyond your walls of comfort? What also can you share about that part of your journey that will help others too?

Our Dreams Are Our Creative Visions For Our Future ... It's Time To Put Them Into Action! - Quote Of The Week!

3/1/2015

"A dream is your creative vision for your life in the future. You must break out of your current comfort zone and become comfortable with the unfamiliar and the unknown." -- Denis Waitley

It’s funny how you see quotes or ideas at a time when you need to see them. This was definitely true about this one.

My wife and I were just talking about at least thinking about and exploring other things to do within or out of our respective careers along with making other changes. Both of us like what we do, but we both agree that we need to step outside our comfort zone when it comes to looking at improving ourselves. That goes for professionally and personally.

Now that I’m past the worst part of my recovery from my back surgery, I have to make some changes to getting more in shape now, as my wife has said she needs to do that too. So we are looking to find a gym that we can feel comfortable at and start ourselves back to being healthier.

I’ve had it on my mind for years about pursuing my Doctorate degree. I’m starting to explore looking for information and I’m seeing that the idea still intrigues me, but there are plenty of items to think about besides the huge financial commitment that it would call for. I know that maybe some other things need to happen before this big leap is made.

I’m starting to get my podcasts going. This has been long on my mind and I am pushing through the little fears (which used to be bigger fears) about doing these. The old saying from my favorite book, The “Magic Of Thinking BIG” states that action cures fear. That is totally true!!

So, on that note that is what I will be working hard to focus on as I embark on this new journey, new way of thinking, and a new way of actually doing things to make my dreams a reality. I know that if I continue doing things the same way I’ve been doing them, then I will continue to not only getting the same results, but I won’t get out of the box that I call my current comfort zone. I look at what I’ve been doing and I tell myself that I haven’t been doing things poorly – hence being comfortable in the comfort zone, but I know I need to change. So here is to Action Curing Fear!!

Making Changes Can Be Difficult - Quote Of The Week

11/24/2014

"Making changes can be difficult, but less difficult than repeating the same old story." – LoraneGordon

As we get ready to finish up our fall term at school, this got me thinking about how different things are now for our seniors compared to when our term started back in early September. Things have changed for everyone of them, that’s for sure. But how many of our seniors can say they had a say in all those changes that happened to them? Most of the time none of us can say that we had control over every single change that has happened to us over a period of time; that’s not how life works.

It is very important that we look at those things we do have control over and always look to control those things. So much of life is out of control, yet it affects us in different and sometimes may ways. It’s all about adjusting things in our life so that need to major on the majors. This long-term saying that still holds true today. There are important things in our lives that we need to focus on and that we have actual control over. There are many more minor things in life that we don’t need to focus on since they are not really that important.

When it comes time to make changes in our lives, they should be focused on those things that help us go where we want to go in life. Change can certainly be scary as most humans enjoy being in their comfort zone and not have to venture too far from that zone too often. If we look at the pain of change and when that pain is less than if we stay the same, then it becomes easier to change. If we keep repeating the same things that give us results that we don’t like; then it’s fur sure a time to change.

I’m wondering if any of our seniors are doing that as their high school years are quickly coming to an end. Are there changes that they have to make that will make things easier for them in the long run? Or are those changes too scary to even attempt? Our seniors are not the only ones that need to look at this – we all need to do this. The important thing to realize is the younger we start making necessary changes in our lives, the less difficult they will be.

I saw something else that fits with this – we will never be younger than we are today. The longer we wait, the harder those changes will be to make. I should know, I’ve put things off far too long in my life and I’m working on changing that right now. Our seniors are so far ahead of my pace. Good for them.