Three days into the week, and I’ve had three examples of how stupid my comfort zone is. No need for the gory details, but each time, I agonized and pushed and prodded myself into doing the Right Thing, overcoming my terror of rejection, offending people, and *gasp* actually having to have awkward conversations, and each time, everything was fine in the end.
Like the worst case scenario was actually a bad thing anyway.
Here’s the paradox: advisors like to say to focus on the stuff you’re really good at, and outsource the rest. But it’s sticking to the highly skilled work that can kill your growth in the early days. It’s amazing, when I’m faced with a task I don’t want to do, how software bugs can miraculously appear and take top priority.
Because fixing software is something I’m great at. And cold calling, for example, not so much. One’s a lot more – wait for it – comfortable to deal with. The other is what’s going to make next month’s revenue target.
But this week was a milestone, and I’m logging it here, because these posts are for you as much as for me. Three scary situations, and they all came out OK.
It’s like that thing where you kinda want to get in a time machine and tell teenaged you that the trick to talking to girls (or boys) is to just talk to them. It seems easy years later, when you’ve had more experience, and maybe you’re in a relationship so there’s no need or pressure to do it anymore anyway.
Scary business stuff is like that too. Even in the course of this year, I can look back in my journals and see struggles that seem trivial now, but were way out of my comfort zone. But I obviously got past those, and I’m looking forward to the next set of challenges.
Just, you know, not right away. Three character builders in a week is good, thanks.
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