Many of my clients seek out coaching because they want to make changes in their career. Many people find that they have spent a large part of their working lives to-date drifting from job to job without ever stopping to figure out what they really want.

Some people do this “drifting” because opportunities for more money, prestige, perks or other benefits are offered to them, others find that after getting a formal qualification is a specific field, they hop from one job to another while remaining in this field.

I heard a great saying recently that says “Life begins when you decide to step outside your comfort zone” Your comfort zone consists of all those things that we do that are easy, that come naturally to us, that take little effort, where little changes and whatever does change, takes a long time. It is the status-quo, the familiar and the “comfortable”. If everyone lived within their comfort zone, nothing would ever have been invented, no one would ever take a risk – The Beatles would never have produced music, Michael Dell would never have built computers and Paul O’Connell would never venture onto a rugby pitch.

One of the strongest forces holding us back from pursuing a great career is the fear of stepping outside our comfort zone. Changing jobs, getting re-educated, doing something different requires that to some extent, we venture into the unknown. The unknown is not a comfortable place to be, so rather than risking the possibility of failure, we don’t even try.

What can you do to break out of your comfort zone? One of the things you can do is to start associating more pain with not changing than with change. You have to start associating more pleasure with change than with not changing.

Here is a challenge for you. Take a blank piece of paper and write on top the word “CHANGE”, then underneath divide the page into 2 columns. In the left column make a list of all the pleasure you could possibly gain from change. On this right column make a list of all the pain you will be caused by NOT changing. Fill the page, come back to it several times over a few days and add to your lists. The more entries you have the more powerful it can be.

Now, write down a specific, measurable goal that you really want to achieve in the next 3 months that is based on your career. It might be to complete a business plan for an idea you have or to put in a formal request for a transfer or promotion. Whatever it is, make sure it is something you feel really excited about and if achieved, would make a powerful and positive difference to you. Go back to your pain, pleasure lists and pick out the top 5 from each list that will support you in keeping focused and committed to your goal. Put this shortened list along with your goal in a place that is readily accessible. Some people put them in their phones as a daily reminder that beeps first thing every morning, others stick it on their computer.

Afterthought. A by-product of breaking out of your comfort zone is that your comfort zones actually gets bigger and as you get more comfortable doing more things and taking on more challenges, self confidence, self esteem and self fulfilment grow.

Good luck and stick with it, perseverance pays.

Fergal O’Connor is a Business and Personal Life Coach working in partnership with his Business and Private clients providing a supportive, confidential, challenging and non-judgemental environment to make their ambitions and dreams a reality. Fergal also facilitates a range of Coaching and Management training programs, Team facilitation workshops and is available for public speaking engagements. Fergal can be contacted at Synergy Coaching Services, Tel: (061) 467287, or through the contact us page of this website.

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