Force Yourself Out of Your Comfort Zone
It’s easy to get comfortable where things are easy and stress free.
Sometimes it’s even easier wallowing in worry and misery then taking action into the unknown.
Your safe place is your sanctuary where nothing from the scary outside world can touch you.
Well, your safe place is also the most dangerous place to be. Let me explain.
As human beings, we are always at our best when we are challenged and forced to rise to the occasion. We dig deep and find strength and resolve that we never knew we had.
If you never put yourself in a position to be tested, you’ll happily accept mediocrity, the status quo and continue to plod along or worse – sink further in.
I know this from experience.
Let me tell you a little story about how getting comfortable was the absolute nail in the coffin for my dreams.
Fight for What You’ve Got or It Will Disappear
As I’ve talked about many times, running my own horror movie shop was my dream come true.
The problem was, I became way too content. I was living in my own shop and having people come in and see me daily.
Yet I didn’t venture outside of my shop often to promote it, spread the word or be the face that runs the place. It was all too easy to just sit in my shop and hang out all day while customers came to me.
Having to go outside of my comfort zone, do public speaking events and promotions was scary and uncomfortable so I didn’t do it often.
Surely enough because of this, my horror shop audience remained the same. The core group of customers that knew about me came in regularly. We had an amazing time and developed lifelong friendships from within that store, but there wasn’t enough of us.
There wasn’t enough of us because I got too comfortable and didn’t do enough to promote it.
Now as an online marketing company, it’s even easier to just stay in my office and do my thing.
A Perfect Business for Introverts
I find so many of us in this industry have picked it because we are by our own very natures – introverts. We can educate, entertain and promote our services right from the comfort of our computer screen.
Yet regardless of being online based technology companies, the core of business still remains. Business is based on relationships and trust. These things are very real and take time to earn and cultivate.
It doesn’t matter what the product, service or solution is. At the end of the day all we are doing is connecting with others at a human level.
And I hate to break it to ya, but it’s gonna take a shitload of time and effort to win people over through a computer screen.
You need to get out of your office and meet others within and outside of your industry.
One on One Relationships are Better
I have many reasons for believing that developing relationships with people is the way to succeed:
- They build comfort and trust
- You know exactly what they need help with
- They know exactly what you need help with
- Everyone’s referral quality goes up
- The job success rates go up
- Everyone’s overall happiness and satisfaction increases
- Human connection and trust is everything
Niche Down Based on You
Everyone is talking about niching down and being specific to your audience today and I totally get it.
In an ocean that’s waters are bloodied by sharks, it’s much easier to swim in your own clean pond.
For those that struggle with (or are reluctant to) truly defining a niche based on industry, I think a great way to niche down is to market yourself.
There isn’t anybody out there like you, so right off the bat you’ll be able to deliver different ideas, results and personality quirks that I cannot.
That’s the strongest pro to in person networking. It allows you to sell what you offer based on just being yourself and being real.
I know based on my personality alone that there will be many people that will not want to do business with me and many people that would love to.
Heck, I’m sure I’ll meet many prospective clients that will not be a good fit personality or project wise, but that’s good. Nobody wants to work with someone that doesn’t get who they are and what result they want. I wouldn’t date that person so why would I work with them?
The same can be said for all of us and nobody is going to know who you are or what you offer when you’re hiding behind your desk.
I can’t wait to get out there and meet you tomorrow.
[social_warfare]
