Circumference of Me

Fourth in a series

You’re terrified? Good!

If you are just starting off on your career journey, you are probably thinking every day that you are living on the edge of your abilities. Or, you may be a long-term employee thinking exactly the same thing.
You’re not.

If you are like a huge majority of workers, you are ensconced in a mile-wide comfort zone, not daring to step near the edge of your experience and abilities.

Growth is rarely gained by standing on solid ground.

You may not recognize it now, but your abilities will not grow and your experiences will be contracted unless you live on the edge. Taking steps – even tiny, baby steps – past the edge of your self-imposed comfort zone is absolutely necessary for personal and professional growth.

You know why you don’t venture closer to the edge: It’s a fear of failure, of biting off more than you can chew, of not gathering moss on your personal rolling stone, and a bevy of other clichés.

Fear of failure is not fatal; it’s also not conducive to progression within the office ranks. If you feel you are watching your life drain out of your frame of opportunity, you have two choices: Step back into more familiar surroundings and possibly stifle unseen opportunities, or step closer and get sucked away into a whole new universe of opportunity.

Of course, it’s frightening; going from the known to the unknown always is. We all like knowing what’s behind the veil of uncertainty in business or in life. Once you set foot in uncharted territory, you at a position where your heretofore-accepted limits are no longer valid.

It’s a time for reflection, reviewing goals and setting new ones, and working to mesh your unspoken dreams with your new reality. You have faced your fears and taken decisive action to change that, which is within your power to change.

You are not the same person you were before you made a conscientious decision to actively seek change. You chose evolution over sameolution. The fact remains, without experimentation, without exploring the depths of your potential, without expanding your knowledge base and business acumen, you cannot climb higher on the success ladder.

That which terrifies you also creates an opportunity for growth.