Fears

Avoidance tactics

By Jenny on July 4, 2016 / Blog, Fears, Inner Strength

As a trained life coach I feel a certain obligation to have my life sorted out…

I struggled with this for a long time and to be perfectly honest I still do. So what do I do….I find things to get distracted by, avoidance tactics – perfect excuse – I am so busy over here that I don’t need to deliver as a coach and surely no one would expect me to under the circumstances. Perfect I have bought myself some more time

Now I certainly don’t recommend this course of action as the results well they simply don’t work. Yes I get a certain sense of satisfaction from achieving on other fronts, BUT in the back of my mind I know I am repeating that same negative behavior and setting myself up to fail yet again! Or at the very least to stay in the holding pattern.

So what to do ?

Firstly it is important I acknowledge the avoidance tactics I am using. One thing I am good at is making myself busy, it is amazing how I can fill my day in with goodness knows what – but wow am I busy! So this is my first change – I am establishing a daily habit of quiet time, reintroducing self care. Meditating and reading coach appropriate books to inspire me.

Now the cynic in me suggests this could be another avoidance tactic – indeed it may be however these new habits support my coaching as opposed to sabotaging it.

The other thing I am doing is challenging my perfectionist traits – I don’t need to know everything (simply not possible) and I acknowledge that sometimes I may well fail (ugh!). I am actually going to use this as a bit of a mantra – so in the positive ” I am stepping outside my comfort zone ready or not!”

So these simple changes I have made don’t cost anything except my time and I am so worth my own time.

Can you see where you could make some simple changes in your life to support your goals and dreams ?

Take the first step …….you are so worth it !

Outside my Comfort Zone

By Jenny on March 29, 2015 / Blog, Fears / Leave a comment

When I worked in the Corporate world I had a sign on my desk that read “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there”.

So what is a comfort zone?

To me, a comfort zone is where we feel in control, safe and supported with little criticism or anxiety. The benefits are a place to go on auto-pilot and recharge; the problem is we risk getting stuck in ground hog day and missing out on endless possibilities.

What happens when we do step outside?

We have new experiences, heightened emotions, learn new skills and yes sometimes we fall over …. I openly admit to being risk adverse (sometimes to my detriment) so by all means do your risk assessment – while it would NOT be safe to jump off the Sydney Harbour Bridge, you could climb it through the appropriate company. For a career change, weigh up the financial & progression implications and if you come up with a block – work out how to get around it – don’t just accept it as a no, focus on the benefits and make it happen.

Consider this, when we come into this lifetime, our comfort zone is very small and consists of yourself and your nurturers. Over time it grows as we discover and understand more, as adults we choose to continue this pattern of growth or not.

The chances are the most memorable experiences of your life have been when you were outside your comfort zone!

For me this would include buying a new home, changing careers, having my family, my first spiritual class through to creating this website and indeed putting myself out there with my business !

Do you remember the last time you were outside your comfort zone? The excitement, nerves and adrenalin rush – studies have shown we experience an enhanced level of concentration and focus while in this stage, a natural high.

Dr Wayne W. Dyer has a wonderful quote

Don’t die with your music still in you !