adminpreviously hosted a seminar I had to literary invite people from the streets to attend for free. Since then the memory of that has forced me to opt for the comfort of working in-house.
In one of my trainings last year, I was encouraged by the feedback (I always get great feedback) from some participants who thought I was hiding a gem and I needed to get “out there”.
“Out there”, what do you mean out there? I thought I was already out there.
This began a journey of introspection for me and I decided to step out of my comfort zone and host seminars.
Make a fool of yourself
The biggest thing that holds many of us back is our fear of what people think. After all, you don’t want people to think you’re weird or rude or creepy or obnoxious nor annoying, do you? But wait — think about the most lovable, magnetic people you’ve come across in your life.
Odds are they weren’t the meek, agreeable people who are reliably pleasant to be around. They were the people who were crazy and charming. People who blurted out silly, maybe inappropriate jokes, or who made huge, slap-your-forehead mistakes, or who were over the top most of the time.
So stop thinking about what people think of you. You’re allowed to be less than perfect, and you may find that people like you more for it, because it makes you a more exciting person to be around.
Let them laugh at you and laugh with them. Do something you normally wouldn’t do for fear of
looking like an idiot. Be that idiot. You’ll be fine.
Face your fears
We are all afraid of something, some fear heights, spiders, tight spaces and germs, but there are also hundreds of subtle fears we bow to every day.
Like the fear of breaking a bone or falling down, or getting caught in the rain. What are the precautions you take every day to circumvent “negative” circumstances?
Are those circumstances really worth stepping around? Those steps add up! It’s good to be proactive, but it’s bad to let a significant portion of your life be devoted to averting things that never happen.
This is because there are little things that could turn into adventures or funny stories if you allow yourself to deal with a little discomfort.
Enjoy the unknown
When is the last time you felt excited about not knowing what was going to happen next? If you’re deep in your comfort zone, it’s probably been a while.
Don’t you miss it? Don’t you miss the mixture of anticipation and anxiety that makes your heart flutter and stomach turn at the same time? Bring that feeling back into your life.
The bonus of this whole experience is that I now have a new line on my profile adding to my experience.
If I had allowed myself to only comfortably and confidently say “I do in-house training for corporates”. I would have robbed myself of the experience and the increase in territory.
Nyaradzo Mavindidze, a motivational speaker, is the Managing Consultant at Avodah Consultants, which specialises in soft skills training and coaching. For feedback email [email protected]
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