I want ( as always ) to keep pushing myself outside of my comfort zone. Because you know what they say, 'Life only begins when you step outside of your comfort-zone.'
It feels uncomfortable, it plays in the back of your mind as the anxieties begin to build up. It is such a success when you have overcome your fear & you build on your achievements. You can't drive change without action. That is why knowledge is power & it is always important to keep learning.
Sometimes, I sit back and feel as if I am not a risk taker BUT actually I am a little crazy & go-getter when I put my mind to it. How can you become more adventurous? Begin taking changes & having faith in risks?
Here is some of the key tips I follow:
1. Speak to someone you trust. They will be able to offer advice, hints, tips and point you in the right direction. Whether that is taking the risk or not. HOWEVER, remember this is YOUR life and when it comes to making decisions deep down you know what the answer is for taking a leap or not.
2. Mind-map. This way you can clearly display all aspects of the risk, with the pros and cons.
3. Right out an action plan: when you decode risks they become less scary. When you have an action plan in place you have forward thought about the pros and cons, how to deal with problems, who is supporting you, the achievements from taking the risk, the benefits in the short & long term.
4. Take baby steps. Sometimes diving in the deep end is the best way to learn. However, if you are filled with anxiety and this a big fear, take small steps.
Example:- for me doing live videos.. How am I conquering this fear?
My News Year resolution was to post videos of myself talking about life, certain topics etc on Instagram stories EVERY DAY. No excuses! To build up my confidence to do lives. No it has taken me 7/8 weeks but I managed a Instagram live and Facebook live in the last few days. Which in the future I want to really build up and offer tips, hacks and advice that people will find useful.
I may seem fearless, but your girl really does struggle and I do have a sheer chill of fear that goes through my body before jumping on my stories everyday. Often I don't feel that well in myself either but I have to bring high energy... which is a challenge in itself.
BUT
You have to realise that your goals are far greater than your fears & if you wanting to achieve your goals it isn't going to be a walk in the park.
You have to get your hammer out and knock down walls, face the dark, jump hurdles and face tests.
You have to decide, and be brutally honest with yourself.. are you willing to jump the hurdles and chase your goals?
Don't think I don't have these doubts and questions in my own life EVERY DAY. I do! I have to remember my 'WHY' and my ultimate goals.
I have to remind myself of walking towards the blocks, stepping on them.. about the dive in. Into the total unknown. RIGHT THERE, RIGHT IN THAT MOMENT - you are alone. A team of one. You have choices to make during this race, you will feel pain, your body will scream, you will question if you have enough fuel in the tank to push further or not. When I am struggling with motivation. I always think back to my swimming days. How I dealt with fears and the challenge in front of me.
The difference with my swimming was I was FULLY 100 PER CENT CONFIDENT in my ability and my talent for the sport. Where a now I am always learning, adapting, navigating through the woods without a map. I have a life that wasn't in my plan or even near my plan. I am having to learn a new skill set, dip in and out of things to find my calling. It has been a long road, and I am still on the journey but I do feel I am finding my calling with the work I am doing today.
That doesn't mean I don't still face my challenges - I DO and I am working everyday on working on my fears to achieve that end of goal.
5. Don't compare yourself. This is a hard for me!! REALLY HARD.
Again, I have to use my swimming days to ground me. When I am struggling with comparison and it is getting me down. I think about standing up on those blocks, the competitors could have been anyone because the really competitor was the clock.
So, here and now. I need to think about my fears as being my main competitor. The more I race against them, the less scary they become. The more I race against them the more I learn about how they swim the race. The more I race against them the closer I get to defeating them.
Don't get me wrong, defeating them isn't the end of the battle, there is always up and coming talents on your toes, new techniques, new features and that is why we have to keep learning, keep thriving, be open-minded, be WILLING TO WORK HARD.
I hope I have given you food for thought today. If you do want to see my lives, my Instagram content, Instagram stories and engage in polls about life, food, travel and LITERALLY everything please add:
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AND
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Feel free to message me with business, health, travel or anything you feel you are struggling with or have any questions about my inbox is always open.
My love always,
Sophie
xoxo