Stepping out of the comfort zone? Use Mindsport!
Recently, I was coaching a senior professional.
One of her concerns was that she was an extreme introvert.
She was very good at her domain and had done enviously well in her career thus far. However, now that she was in a leadership position, she was expected to mingle with people, meet with new clients, strike a conversation, and take a lead in client relationships. This was getting very hard for her.
I was listening to her intently, especially to the language that she was using. For instance, I heard her saying:
– I can never speak to strangers
– I can never imagine going out for coffee with someone I haven’t known
– I always wait for someone else to introduce me
– I can never speak about anything outside of my domain
She was repeatedly using ‘never’, and ‘always’.
Words such as ‘never’ and ‘always’ are future-limiting.
For instance, when I say, ‘I can never speak to strangers’, in one sentence, I have covered the past, present, and future.
It means that not only have I not spoken to strangers, but I will also never be able to speak to strangers throughout my life. You can see how future-limiting this sentence is!
Watch what our internal languaging does to us. Read my post, ‘Silence Your Internal Chatter’ here.
Stepping out of the comfort zone
Instead, if I were to say, ‘I have not spoken to strangers till now’, just by altering the sentence a bit and adding ’till now’, I have kept my future open. While my past indicates something to me, I could still bring about a change in my future by stepping out of my comfort zone and discovering something new.
When we keep our future open, it opens up possibilities.
My Quote #207 says:
I introduced Mindsport to my client.
What is Mindsport?
I conceptualized Mindsport as a sport that we play with our minds. It is a sport in which we nudge our minds to experiment with something new. It could be something that our mind has resisted until now. Since it is a sport, we can be playful. We could win or lose the game and we could still be playful anticipating the next round. Mindsport can be both learning and fun.
Why Mindsport?
I have realized that as we progress in life, we need to keep adapting to new changes. Read my post, ‘Life as a Video Game’ here. As we clear one level of the video game, we are introduced to a new level that demands more and more from us.
As we progress through our life or career, we realize that our old views, habits, and competencies are getting questioned. Some of them may have now become redundant, irrelevant, obsolete, or blunt. We may need to acquire, adopt, and adapt. In essence, stepping out of the comfort zone.
How does Mindsport work?
In the case of this client, I wanted her to nudge her mind to try something new in a playful way.
The idea was not for her to become someone else. She needed to be proud of what she had accomplished in her career thus far.
It was just that the new role expected her to add some more skills to her portfolio. I was using Mindsport to this effect. Till now, she may have experienced internal resistance. But with Mindsport, it is just a game. Why not try it?
Mindsport – my experience
I have greatly benefitted from Mindsport.
For instance, when I quit corporate life to become an entrepreneur, I had never focused on Brand Building and Marketing in a way an entrepreneur would. However, the new turn in my career demanded it.
I needed to step out of my comfort zone.
Mindsport helped me nudge myself into a new zone of learning. I learned all about Brand, setting up a website, and becoming active in social media using all available platforms.
I have stumbled and fallen. I have made mistakes. Since it was Mindsport, a playful journey, I set myself up regularly.
Today I have a very active website with hundreds of subscribers. I have published over 140 articles on my website and over 30 editions of my newsletter. With over 64000 Page Views on my website, I have published 366 original Quotes and compiled them into a book titled, ‘366 Insights for Life‘. I have published an ebook, ‘31 Ways to Reclaim Your Happiness‘, that is offered free to my subscribers.
Many of my website visitors are my clients today.
While the Brand Building & Marketing journey continues, my point is that Mindsport helps us step out of our comfort zone in a playful way.
Start small
Mindsport assumes that there is nothing wrong with you. The context has changed and therefore, the need for some new changes.
I have learned in my life that if we want our minds to offer the least resistance to our new ideas, start small.
My Quote #243 says:
Since my client’s new role demanded her to mingle with people, meet with new clients, strike a conversation, and take a lead in client relationships, using Mindsport, would she be willing to nudge her mind playfully to do just 3 things to begin with?
- Say Hello first
- Introduce everyone in the meeting or call
- Get to know more details about the people in the meeting or call
The role of a coach is to ‘stay with the client’. I have pledged my support to her. Once she has gained confidence and adjusted to this new normal, I could throw in more challenging assignments. If she has found it difficult to accomplish even these 3 things, we could look at alternate ideas. After all, Mindsport can be a continuing process.
Acquire, Adapt, Adopt
Amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, things are changing. We do not yet know the type and extent of these changes. However, one thing is certain.
All of us will be expected to step out of our comfort zone – to learn new skills, and new ways of doing things. In short, to acquire, adopt, and adapt.
And just in case your mind resists any such changes, just remember that it is quite normal. But what you have now is a friend by your side – a friend named Mindsport.
Are you being expected to step out of your comfort zone? A coach can help. If you are ready for Mindsport, I am game!
Do let me know how I can support you. Write to me at [email protected].
