Our comfort zone is that state of mind where we feel no anxiety; we’re anxiety-neutral, if you will.  When we step outside our comfort zone, we feel stress.  Stress-induced adrenaline can enable us to raise our performance to new levels; it enables us to take risks and tackle new challenges.  On the other hand, stress caused by anxiety, our state of mind, or how we perceive a threat to our comfort zone can undermine our ability to move through the change that initially caused the stress.  

When we experience change, either by our own initiation or when it is thrust upon us, we have our comfort zones threatened.  If we perceive the change as positive, our response is generally positive.  If negative, we initiate the energy-draining grief cycle.  And then, the fight really begins.

Sometimes change can be drastic, sudden.  Generally speaking, change happens over time.  In turn, change often requires leaving a comfort zone and can feel like a weaning process.  There’s a loss of security, a loss of significance.  A loss.

What can be done to reduce the perceived loss associated with change?

Picture the End State: Having a realistic picture of what the “end state” looks like, (a vision) as well as a plan to get there, will help you feel more secure by reducing the uncertainty of the future.  Let’s emphasize the word realistic.  Because all change is highly emotional, sometimes we just can’t seem to grasp a realistic picture….see “Accountability Team” below.

Assess Your Commitment: Change takes physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual commitment.  Your commitment will also strengthen you and raise your significance because you’re going somewhere!  An honest assessment of the strength of your commitment will go a long way to help you know if you are ready for the change…see “Accountability Team” below.

Create Margin: Embarking on real change will require creating some margin in your schedule, finances, health, etc. to be able to tackle obstacles as they arise.  Having margin affects both your security and your significance.  You must have resources to pour into the change…see “Accountability Team” below.

Establish an Accountability Team: Our belief is that everyone needs the following: A life coach, a spiritual mentor and a small group of trusted advisors, a circle of trust, if you will.  The life coach can help you create the vision and plan as well as provide support during transitions, obstacles, etc.  The spiritual mentor can help you stay on track from a moral, ethical and scriptural standpoint.  And your group of trusted advisors is people who know you, want the best for you and have skills that will help you…they can share their own experience as well as challenge you in your blind spot areas.

Highly successful people are very skilled at moving outside their comfort zones, taking risks and achieving goals. While some of it is mental conditioning and toughness, other parts are predictable: they know where they are going; they are fully committed, they make it happen and they have the support of experts all around them.

Some questions for you to consider:

* How do you typically deal with change?  In other words, what is your own personal change process?

* When you admire others for achieving their goals, what can you learn about their personal change process?

* Do you have an Accountability Team in place in your life?  If not, why?