03 Jul What if happiness & success came from getting uncomfortable? Here are 10 things to try…
via ThriveGlobal by Elle Kaplan
“Growth and comfort do not coexist” — Ginni Rometty
Wouldn’t it be fantastic if the road to success and happiness were an easy one? Unfortunately, as we all know, this isn’t the case. The reality is, you’ll only succeed once you force yourself to do things that you don’t necessarily want to. It’s true. You see, our brains are wired in such a way that we often don’t take action until we feel some sort of uneasiness or uncertainty.
Multiple studies have backed this claim up, showing that performance spikes when we’re doing something out of our norm. The act of stepping outside our comfort zone is not only vital to our success, but also our well being and ability to grow as individuals too.
With a little understanding and a few minor adjustments, you can break free and achieve more than you ever dreamt possible. So step out of your bubble and embrace the following ten challenges:
Ask for what you want.
“Everything you want is out there waiting for you to ask. Everything you want also wants you. But you have to take action to get it.”- Jules Renard
Too often, people don’t achieve the success they want simply because they are not willing to ask for it. Sure, this definitely requires some courage because we do face the possibility of being rejected, but the ever looming ‘what if’ will be much harder to live with than any turndown will. Ask yourself what’s the worst that could happen. If it’s a simple denial it should never hold you back.
Get up early.
Unless you’re just naturally a morning person, setting the alarm clock for earlier than usual is a sure shot way to take you out of your comfort zone (and cause some early morning cursing).
However, carving out some extra time for the beginning of your days can be well worth it. Everybody from Bill Gates to Mark Zuckerberg swear by their rigorous morning habits as a key to their success. And academic research shows that those who adopt morning routines have a greater “ability to take action to change a situation to one’s advantage.”
This will give you an opportunity to mentally prepare for what’s ahead, exercise, get a nutritious breakfast in (instead of eating something on the go like so many of us do) or simply take a few minutes for something you enjoy.
Say no.
Recent research showed that the more challenging it is for a person to say no, the more likely they are to experience stress. We all know that ‘no’ can be a powerful word, but it’s one that you should not be afraid to use and use often.
Saying no to new requests or invitations helps to honor your existing commitments and gives you the opportunity to adequately fulfill them. When you learn to say no when necessary, you’ll free up your time and energy for the things that matter most in your life…
…keep reading the full & original article HERE