Week 247

Positive post Sunday, December 8, 2019- Week 147. 

For those of us who have been around for a while, at some point in our careers, or lives, we have likely been told that we need to venture outside of our comfort zone to learn and experience growth.  As well-known author David Cottrell says, “Comfort Zone is the enemy of your potential”.  A few other phrases of similar meaning, “Nothing ventured, nothing gained” (dating back to the 1600’s) and Franklin D. Roosevelt’s quote, “A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor” suggest that in order to achieve and gain new skills, we need to act, take risks and navigate through turbulent times in our lives.

There are numerous and varying ways we can venture outside of our comfort zones to explore new ways to grow and succeed both in our personal and professional lives.  

In my personal life, I have been blessed to have been raised in a home of faith and family values.  This foundation has been absolutely critical as I have, and continue to, navigate through the many opportunities the good Lord has given me to venture outside my comfort zone.  Along with the wonderful people and experiences in my life, I have also had to work through life threatening and life changing experiences that have been difficult and painful.  One might think that these experiences would have weakened my faith, however they have done just the opposite.  I have grown enormously from the challenges in my life, and my faith has only grown stronger.  As Dr. Michelle Bengtson explains in her video, “When God calls you to step outside your comfort zone”, the good Lord clearly has a plan for me, one that is greater than I can comprehend.  Here’s the link to her video https://drmichellebengtson.com/5-verses-to-rely-on-when-youre-outside-your-comfort-zone/.

In my professional life, I have been fortunate to work for a company (SoCalGas) that has a healthy culture, one that values experiential learning and developing a strong and diverse leadership team.  Throughout my 35 years at SoCalGas, I have worked with some amazing leaders and I have had numerous opportunities to venture outside of my comfort zone.  I have held roughly 15 different positions in multiple and diverse disciplines which has allowed me to grow and develop a broad and diverse foundation of skills.  At this point in my career, I’m motivated to pay it forward by mentoring our next generation of leaders, helping them venture outside their comfort zones to develop the broad and diverse base of knowledge and skills they will clearly need to be successful leaders in the future.

Here are a few resources for stepping out of your comfort zone.

10 Ways To Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone And Overcome Your Fear by Cylon George:  https://www.lifehack.org/articles/communication/10-ways-step-out-your-comfort-zone-and-enjoy-taking-risks.html

6 Reasons To Step Outside Your Comfort Zone by Carolyn Gregoire: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/stepping-outside-your-comfort-zone_n_5872638?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuZ29vZ2xlLmNvbS8&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAMUoAyUixihFu_Hrw-w7lwe4r_KGNdNZ4vtS5wcH5oBmPiNuykRl1YRSGVr_JGKwUw5XFrdrmqiLC7ImrJPsXoJQS7qs1McV8OXWQt9RmlSeqvVrTyMknZPVBKUwulLzrZDQoTP9GqfR2tfXh_EhH8LwZtANKCQNwKhArFs2n2A4

What are your opportunities to venture outside your comfort zone both personally and professionally?  How are you helping others step outside their comfort zones to learn and grow?  Take the first step, it will strengthen your faith and skills and could even be life changing.