Is Your Comfort Zone Actually Comfortable?

You’re bored with your job, relationships, or life in general. But you’ve been unwilling to make any changes for improvement, big or small.

You’re stressed because you’re drowning in debt. But you’ve been unwilling to sell some of your stuff or cut out some of your unnecessary spending.

You’re lonely because you never asked out that girl or guy you found attractive. But you’ve been unwilling to risk rejection.

You’re worried about your job because you’ve been hearing rumors of a lay-off. But you’ve been unwilling to make a career change or look for something new.

You’re afraid to try something new because you’re unwilling to risk failure.

You’re medicated to help you deal with all the above feelings.

Does that sound comfortable to you? Your comfort zone is anything but comfortable. At best, it’s misery. At worst, it’s hell.

The Line Between Your Current Situation and the Life You Desire

The antidote for all of these feelings lies just outside your comfort zone. But the area outside your comfort zone is not the opposite of comfort. It’s not a “discomfort zone.” Instead, it’s what I call the THRIVE ZONE.

The “discomfort zone” is actually the thin border between your current comfort zone and the thrive zone. This small space is very awkward and painful, but that pain is short-lived. Once you cross that border, you’ll be in the thrive zone, also known as the life you desire.

Are You Willing?

What does it take to cross the border?

Willingness! That’s it.

The rest you can learn and figure out.

Are you fed up enough with how uncomfortable your comfort zone is that you’re willing to experience some temporary discomfort and make some changes?

Next Steps

If you answered yes, here are some steps you can take to help you figure out what to do to create the positive change you desire.

First, subscribe to the paNASH newsletter to receive an 8-Step Goal Achievement Plan. This complimentary resource will help you:

• Prioritize your goals.
• Set goals you can commit to.
• Break your goals down into manageable steps.
• Overcome obstacles standing in the way of your goals.
• Ultimately achieve your goals.

Along with that, you’ll want to register for the complimentary on-demand program 5 Ways to Pursue Your Passions in Life and Work. In this program you’ll learn how to:

• Become unstuck and get out of your rut (your not-so-comfortable comfort zone).
• Reframe your negative beliefs.
• Pursue your life-long passions and discover new passions.
• And more!

The Results You Can Expect

As a result of these free resources you can expect to:

• Have more success in your life and your career.
• Serve as a positive example for your family members.
• Focus more on your goals.
• Obliterate the obstacles previously in your way of your goals.
• Develop an action plan.
• Have a true sense of accomplishment.
• Gain the courage and freedom to pursue your passions.
• Obtain guidance and direction toward work you love and enjoy.
• Lessen your negative self-talk and develop a more positive mindset.

Does all of that sound better than boredom, stress, loneliness, worry, and fear? Yeah, I thought so. Don’t stay in misery any longer. Instead, subscribe and register for the free resources above and start thriving today!

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Welcome to “Sunday Inspiration,” a bi-weekly devotional for those seeking spiritual encouragement in the pursuit of their passions. Each post comes from an outside resource (as referenced). I hope these posts will inspire and motivate you in your life and career in addition to our weekly original blog posts. Enjoy!

“We each have different work to do.” Ro 12:5 TLB

Bob Buford was a successful businessman who felt God calling him to some kind of ministry. He just wasn’t sure what, so he decided to test the waters.

He brought together a group of pastors of large churches to see if they could benefit from the kind of organizational expertise he had. The cost of doing this was low enough that had it been a dead end, he could easily have focused his search elsewhere. If he’d impulsively quit his job as CEO and taken a staff position in a church somewhere, he might have missed his calling and jeopardized his chance to keep searching. As a result, today he has a ministry that literally impacts the world.

Now, you can’t just walk away from your previous commitments. Amos transitioned into the prophecy business while he still had his shepherding job to fall back on. Paul kept his tent-making operation running when he went into church planting.

Discerning God’s will requires time and patience, and most of us have bills to pay and families to take care of. So what should you do? Keep your day job—but test the waters!

And remember you’re not alone. God’s more committed to your success than you are. When you feel like He’s given you the green light, gently push the accelerator and move forward.

Playwright Arthur Miller said: “It’s wrong to remain in a situation you know is a mismatch for you…God didn’t place you on this earth to waste away your years in labor that doesn’t employ His design or purpose for your life, no matter how much you may be getting paid.”

Source:  https://jentezenfranklin.org/daily-devotions/test-the-waters-1

Last week I wrote about ways to increase your job security. In addition to investing in career coaching, another suggestion I made was to quit your job and start your own thing. But not everyone can do that, at least not right away. And the ones who can usually don’t think it’s a feasible option. (Most of them are wrong.)

But as I stated in last week’s post, I feel like I have more job security having my own business than I ever did working for the state’s largest private employer where there were constant hiring freezes and multiple firings.

One of my colleagues who also now works for herself said the same thing to me. She left a high-level position at a multi-national power management company without knowing yet what her next career move was. She later started her own consulting company and now feels more in control of her career than ever before.

So, while the title of this post says I sacrifice security to be my own boss, I don’t really feel like I’m sacrificing that at all. Instead, I feel like I’m gaining job security by being my own boss. But, I still get asked the question all the time, “What made you decide to sacrifice a full-time job with benefits to be your own boss?” There are several reasons why.

#1

I get to be the boss! I get to call the shots and decide how I want to run things, which allows me to use my creativity and I don’t have to go through a bunch of red tape just to get an idea approved. If I want to try something new, I can. If it doesn’t work, I can tweak it or try something else. It’s so refreshing to be able to have carte blanche over my own work.

#2

I get to choose who I work with. No longer am I stuck working for a micro-managing boss, a slacking co-worker, or a non-committal client. I get to be selective in who I work with. My work thrives when I can work with those who are open-minded, curious, adventurous, respectful, and professional.

#3

I get to choose which hours I want to work. I’m the type of person who gets spurts of energy at various times throughout the day. Some days I’m a morning person. Other days I’m a night owl. Because I have control over my schedule, I can work at the times when I’m most productive, and take breaks whenever I need to recharge by going paddle boarding or for a walk. Also, because I get to make my own schedule, I can go get groceries when the store is least crowded!

#4

I get to determine my own worth and value and set my own rates. Never again do I have to work a job where I’m underpaid for my education and experience.

#5

I can work from just about anywhere. I often meet with clients in person, but several of them are out-of-state or unable to meet in person so we do so over the phone or computer. This allows me to work from anywhere with an Internet connection. In fact, next month I’ll be presenting a webinar to people in Nashville while I’m on a beach trip to Florida. The beauty of this freedom is I can work from home if I want to, from a coffee shop, and even from a hammock!

If working for yourself sounds appealing and you want to know if it’s a possibility for you, let’s talk! Together we can determine if you possess the skills needed to be successful working for yourself. Or, if you just want to explore the possibility of working from home for your current employer, we can discuss how you can make that happen as well. 

Want more job security? Quit your job. Not an option? The next best option is to invest in career insurance.

What’s career insurance? I’ll answer that, but first let’s not just gloss over the first option.

I’m serious. If you want a guarantee of job security, then quit your job and you’ll eliminate all chances of ever losing it. Then you can become your own boss and make all the hiring and firing decisions. Including the decision to never fire yourself.

Since leaving my full-time job with benefits where there were constant hiring freezes and multiple firings, I’ve had more job security than ever before. I’ve been able to develop the grit and skills required to work for myself and bring in a steady stream of clients, to supplement my income at times when the stream was unsteady, and to eliminate the salary cap I had at my previous job.

Not only that, owning my own business has helped me develop skills I never would’ve developed in my previous job. This has made me more marketable for even more job opportunities if I ever decide to close my business and work for someone else again.

But, if quitting your job isn’t a feasible option for you right now, there’s still one more simple option available to give you a little more job security. Invest in career insurance.

What is career insurance?

What is career insurance? It’s basically another term for comprehensive career coaching designed to prepare you for any event that may arise in your career. This includes the expected, like a promotion, voluntary job/career change, or starting your own business. And it includes the unexpected, like a layoff or a loss of business.

Think you don’t need career insurance?  Let me share a few stories with you.

Photo by Tyler B on Unsplash

The Unexpected Layoff

I’ve recently been hired by a company to provide career coaching for the employees they’re laying off. This isn’t something all companies provide their pink slip employees. So don’t assume your company will do the same for you if you get laid off. If they do, take advantage of it!!! It’s on the company’s dime and it can help you find your next opportunity much faster than trying to do it all on your own.

This particular layoff came as a total surprise to those affected by the company’s decision. Each of them have said to me, “I always thought I’d retire at this company. I love my job and the people I work with. And I had no intentions of ever leaving and never thought I would get downsized.”

Lesson #1:  Never assume you’re not at risk of losing your job. Even if your company is growing and promises to be loyal to you. Business is business and things change. If your company doesn’t provide you any outplacement services or career coaching, you may want to invest some severance money into career coaching so you can find your next opportunity quicker and learn how to negotiate a higher salary. Learning such skills will pay for any coaching expenses, and then some.

The Need for a Change

Teresa* hired me for some career coaching services because she was very unhappy in her current job due to a lot of changes in that job. She wanted to start looking for a new job and also explore the possibility of working for herself. So I got to work on helping her meet these goals.

After only three coaching sessions, Carolyn found out her current job was being eliminated. When she got the news, she felt a sense of relief that she already had (and had already paid for) a career coach and had already begun the steps to a successful job search, making the news less of a blow.

She knows our first few sessions and our remaining sessions will put her in the best possible position to find her next opportunity more quickly. She also knows the coaching will help position her for promotion by this time next year.

Lesson #2:  It’s better to already have some career insurance in place if and when an issue arises, than to not have it and wish you did. Especially if you don’t receive a good severance package.

Prepare for the Worst, and the Best

I started working with Shane* at the beginning of the summer. He chose my basic package of just four sessions which we completed at the end of July. I recently received an update from him and he had this to say,

All of my worlds have been colliding since our last session, and I’ve only been able to handle it all because of the great place we got to through our sessions. So thank you. I just had my interview for my promotion that was in the works earlier this summer. Whatever shakes out, the confidence and clarity I gained from our sessions made the interview process really rewarding.

Lesson #3:  Career coaching isn’t just for leaving your company. If you like where you work, coaching services can also help you advance in your company if that’s your goal. It can also prepare you for any career curve ball (good or bad) that may come your way.

How to Increase Your Job Security

While you have no control over your company’s decisions or the current job market, you do have control over your own career strategy. paNASH’s career coaching services help you develop a strategy to leverage your skills and market them for new opportunities, providing career insurance no matter what happens with your career.

Is it time to for you to invest in some career insurance? If not now, when? Don’t wait until it’s too late. Click here to get started.

Related Posts

• Are You Ready for the Future? How to Avoid Technological Unemployment
• How to Think Like an Entrepreneur (Even When You’re Not One)
• Maintaining Positivity in the Face of Job Loss or Job Rejection

*Names have been changed to maintain confidentiality.

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Save

Welcome to “Sunday Inspiration,” a bi-weekly devotional for those seeking spiritual encouragement in the pursuit of their passions. Each post comes from an outside resource (as referenced). I hope these posts will inspire and motivate you in your life and career in addition to our weekly original blog posts. Enjoy!

For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.

Luke 14:11 (NLT)

How can we humble ourselves? Some people try to give the appearance of humility in order to manipulate others. Others think that humility means putting themselves down.

Truly humble people compare themselves only to Christ, realize their sinfulness, and understand their limitations. On the other hand, they also recognize their gifts and strengths and are willing to use them as Christ directs.

Humility isn’t self-degradation; it’s realistic assessment and commitment to serve.

Source:  The Life Application Study Bible (NLT); study note for Luke 14:11