The tenth success principle is release the brakes. I love the quote this chapter starts off with, "Everything you want is just outside your comfort zone," Robert Allen. This principle is very much about moving out of the box that you create for yourself and realizing there's more available to you outside those boundaries. We start to feel safe and secure within the comfort zone, but often it becomes a prison, limiting the range of our experience and stunting our growth.
Canfield points to our use of the words "can't," "must," "must not" as clues to where you are building your own box. It's a great exercise to spend a day or a week paying attention to when you say anything that I would call a 'that's the way it is" statement (e.g. "I'd love to change my job, but it's just not realistic." "I really want to study music, but..." "If I didn't have this mortgage, I would...) That will help determine where you are seeing boundaries and limitations, i.e. the edges of your box.
This chapter about moving outside of the comfort zone is timely for me. I've been working on revamping the look and feel of my business and in the midst of it working on personal image transformation as well. At times it has been exciting and inspiring and at others, overwhelming and frustrating. I find that sometimes I'm so used to the walls I've created that I'm more likely to keep painting those walls or hanging new art on them instead of seeing that the real point is to blast them down and open up to something brand new! That's a good time to get an outside view.
This week I had the opportunity to work with a branding strategist and a style consultant, which was powerful, insightful work. And I noticed how vulnerable I felt in the process. When I became aware of my resistance and sensitivity, it occured to me that the reason this feels so uncomfortable is because it's real change. I'm growing and stepping into new shoes and I'm not 100% sure what they look like. And I'm finding that disorienting. I've always had a deep sense of who I am and a strong sense of my personal style and the way I move in the world. Up until recently, I've always been someone who shifts their look with their life. I remember the different eras in my life (the dancer era, the body-building era, drama student, artistic director, club chick) and the accompanying wardrobe and image changes.
I'm surprised at how difficult I've found this current transformation. Maybe it's because I'm holding some limiting beliefs that are putting the brakes on. I'd say that's true about how I feel about getting older. And I notice things like how I undercut my love of the garden because I'm associating it with a domesticity that I'm resisting, despite the fact that I love "home." And the style consultant actually challenged me to fully claim my spirituality. So there are at least 3 invitations for me to expand my comfort zone.
Canfield points to our use of the words "can't," "must," "must not" as clues to where you are building your own box. It's a great exercise to spend a day or a week paying attention to when you say anything that I would call a 'that's the way it is" statement (e.g. "I'd love to change my job, but it's just not realistic." "I really want to study music, but..." "If I didn't have this mortgage, I would...) That will help determine where you are seeing boundaries and limitations, i.e. the edges of your box.
This chapter about moving outside of the comfort zone is timely for me. I've been working on revamping the look and feel of my business and in the midst of it working on personal image transformation as well. At times it has been exciting and inspiring and at others, overwhelming and frustrating. I find that sometimes I'm so used to the walls I've created that I'm more likely to keep painting those walls or hanging new art on them instead of seeing that the real point is to blast them down and open up to something brand new! That's a good time to get an outside view.
This week I had the opportunity to work with a branding strategist and a style consultant, which was powerful, insightful work. And I noticed how vulnerable I felt in the process. When I became aware of my resistance and sensitivity, it occured to me that the reason this feels so uncomfortable is because it's real change. I'm growing and stepping into new shoes and I'm not 100% sure what they look like. And I'm finding that disorienting. I've always had a deep sense of who I am and a strong sense of my personal style and the way I move in the world. Up until recently, I've always been someone who shifts their look with their life. I remember the different eras in my life (the dancer era, the body-building era, drama student, artistic director, club chick) and the accompanying wardrobe and image changes.
I'm surprised at how difficult I've found this current transformation. Maybe it's because I'm holding some limiting beliefs that are putting the brakes on. I'd say that's true about how I feel about getting older. And I notice things like how I undercut my love of the garden because I'm associating it with a domesticity that I'm resisting, despite the fact that I love "home." And the style consultant actually challenged me to fully claim my spirituality. So there are at least 3 invitations for me to expand my comfort zone.
Where might you expand yours?
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