I just saw the new
Katy Perry movie, Part of Me last night with my daughters and it made me
realize the importance of playing of bigger game. It may seem like a no brainier that when you stay small you don't grow but how
many of us in reality actually embrace playing a bigger game in our lives.
Playing a bigger game
means going outside your comfort zone. We'll push up against
our comfort zone but many times end up backing down because of so many things -
fear, the unknown, lack of confidence, finances. This list goes on and on and I
suspect we each know what the deal breaker is for us when we're pressed right
up against our comfort zone. It's something to think about if you don't know
because it shows up time and time again and will keep you small until you call
it out and confront it head on.
Like
so many successful people, Katy also spent many years struggling to achieve her
dream but she never gave up and did whatever it took to move even just a little
closer to realizing it. She kept her vision solidly in
front of her and stayed intently focused on it; having this internal knowing
that one day she would achieve that bigger vision for herself. She believed and
carved her own path even though others questioned her many times along the way.
She remained steadfast in her confidence and demonstrated what it truly means
to allow your desire to be greater than your biggest fear.
The bottom line is
that we have to go outside our comfort zone if we want to play a bigger game -
pure and simple! There is no way around it; try as we might. The most successful
in any field will tell you it's part of the journey. So if you want to truly
realize your dream, be ready to push through whatever is holding you back from
going outside your comfort zone. Be willing to take some risks, be open to the
possibility of failure but realize failure is not forever, it's just part of
your journey towards the bigger success.
Action Steps:
Think about the last time you
sensed you needed to step out of your comfort zone. Did you take action or did
you skirt around it? We can play games with ourselves and make excuses but deep
down we know that by not stepping up we're being less than we could be. Here
are some tips to help you push outside your comfort zone. Ask yourself:
- Will taking this action bring
me closer to my goals and desires?
- Will taking this action
negatively impact anyone?
- What's holding me back?
- If this brings me closer to my
desires and this won't harm anyone, am I going to allow (answer to #3)
to stand in my way?
These questions will help you
bring immediate clarity and allow you to call out exactly what's keeping you
small and confront it head on. You'll be forced to make a decision and not hide
from it if you chose to not push past whatever is holding you back. Even
if you don't take action this time, you'll soon start to recognize a pattern in
your behavior and get to a point where you realize if you truly want to achieve
your bigger vision, you have to push through it and play a bigger game.
Did
you like this article? To receive my weekly ezine focused on helping
you build a stronger business and get back to the business of design,
just click -
Sign
up for my Weekly Ezine