Their eyes were set on the prize far into the future. They knew what they had to do. And they knew that if they settled in their comfort zone, theyd never amount to anything. Theyd never achieve their dreams.
Your true potential
Each of us has the potential to do great things. But if you remain trapped in your comfort zone, then youre never going to know your true potential.
Imagine a bird trapped in a small cage. The bird knows it can fly, but for as long as its caged, it will never know just how high it can fly.
That bird is you. Youre trapped within your cage its just disguised as your comfort zone. The good news is that unlike caged birds, you can actually choose to leave your comfort zone. Youre just not willing to.
If you want to uncover your true potential, then you will need to unlock your cage. Thats the first thing you need to do.
Learn new things
With your cage wide open, you can now feel the breeze on your face. You can now taste freedom. You can now go after your dreams.
But dreams can be fickle. One minute you see it so clearly, you feel like its within arms reach. Then the next minute, its far, far away.
If you want to accomplish your dreams quickly, then you need to have a plan. Not just any old plan, but a solid, well-thought-out plan. A plan that may require you to learn new things and new skills.
In your comfort zone, you wouldnt have had the opportunity to learn and try new things. No, in your comfort zone, youve already mastered everything. Trying new things made you edgy, it made you uncomfortable.
But outside your comfort zone, you dont have such limitations. Outside your comfort zone, youll experience a multitude of opportunities that were previously not available to you.
Its up to you to grab and hold onto those opportunities. Theyll build your skills and your knowledge. Theyll bring you closer to your goals.
Chapter 3 Key to Success Setting the SMART Goals
«Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.»
Tony Robbins
Your dreams arent going to magically appear within your comfort zone. Instead, if you want to achieve your dreams, youre going to leave your comfort zone behind. Youre going to traverse the vast wilderness, the vast unknown, full of scary things.
You may feel lost, and you may feel like quitting. Youll hear your heart pounding loudly in your ears. Youll feel the wetness of tears on your cheeks. Youll feel your resolve weakening.
At this point, the majority of everyone whos ever had the courage to leave their comfort zones behind, give up. They break down. They surrender to their failures. They succumb to the obstacles. They turn around to where they came from. They hide again in their comfort zones, never to resurface ever again.
The smart thing to do
The unknown abyss beyond your comfort zone is extremely tough. If youre not mentally, emotionally, and physically ready, youre not going to get very far before you pack up and head home.
So, how do you get from point A (thats your comfort zone) to point B (your dreams)?
Well, the smart thing to do would be to prepare for your journey.
You cant just wing it and expect to succeed.
Its like going on a month-long holiday abroad without planning ahead. You only buy the tickets to your destination, but you dont know where youre going to be staying. You dont know anything about the place. You dont know the culture, the people, you basically know nothing apart from the name of the place!