"Get out of your comfort zone!" 

I've read that from online creators and I've definitely said that to myself and to my clients in the past... 

More specifically, I would say "go to the edge of your comfort zone."

And I was wrong.

Or I guess, my perspective has changed on it.

I believe you have to step into the unknown in order to create what you've never created before. And many people associate stress, nervousness, discomfort and unease with stepping into the unknown.

But I realized, those feelings aren't required even when stepping into the unknown.

Creators Use The Unknown to Create What's Next

As I've studied from many different creators, coaches, and authors I've noticed something:

Successful creators consistently move into the unknown, but they don't get paralyzed by it.

They use the unknown to catalyze their next level. They don't just repeat the known over and over again. They make peace with the unknown.

My own experience with stepping into the unknown hasn't been dramatic or stressful. Which made me realize that when I experience personal or business growth, I don't go so far out of my comfort zone that I can't focus, or get paralyzed with fear...

I expand my comfort zone.

I don't necessarily "leave" my comfort zone.

Light bulb moment for me.

Every leap in income, every new product or coaching cohort or pricing structure I've launched... was on the edge of my comfort zone, but not "out" of my comfort zone. 

It is a game of expansion.

Expand Your Comfort Zone in 5 Steps

1. Get clear about what you want. 

Take inventory in your life and work situation. What you like, what you don't like.

Tell yourself the truth about where you are now, and use that to get clarity about what you really want.

A GPS doesn't work if you only plug in a destination. A GPS needs to know where you are currently AND where you want to go so it can give you guidance.

Our soul's journey is like that too.

We need to know where we are AND where we want to go in order to make empowered decisions on the journey.

Get clear about what you want for your body, your relationships, your business, your finances, your lifestyle.

2. Identify what you've already tried in order to create your vision.

Write down everything you've tried in the last 3-6 months that you thought would help you make your vision real.

Again, be honest with yourself.

What worked? What didn't?

3. Identify what you wanted to try, but didn't, because of fear, procrastination, or distraction.

Write down all the ideas of what could help you create what you want, but ones that you haven't experimented with.

Last year when I went through this process, I realized even though I kept writing "write a book" as part of my vision, I never joined a program to help me get it done with a deadline. 

(Doing this exercise helped me decide to join Rich Litvin's group about writing a tiny book... that ended up helping me publish Quiet Wealth last year.)

Get creative. 

What are all the things you could try that you haven't tried yet??

4. Make a list of things you can experiment with in the next 30 days. You'll be experimenting with two things: beliefs and actions.

If you have a goal to create $10k monthly recurring revenue, you might write down:

believing:  money is coming to me, people want to pay me, my clients are already in my orbit, people enjoy watching me sell, it's good for the world when I get what I want

doing: posting on social media every day, sharing links to buy from me every day, writing a weekly newsletter, initiating 5 conversations online a day, inviting people who ask me questions to a chat, including links to book a consult call

5. Execute, Evaluate, Expand.

This is the framework you will use for the next year (and beyond.)

You look at the list you wrote down in #4, and you execute. You try things, believing things you've never believed before and you do things you've never done before.

Then, you evaluate.

What worked? What didn't?

What did you enjoy? What didn't you enjoy?

Then, expand.

What have you gotten comfortable with?

What is on the edge of your comfort zone now?

What feels like the next step?

What are new skills you need to develop to accomplish what's next?

You can repeat these 5 steps anytime you need a reset, any time you've hit a plateau, or anytime you feel like you need to pivot.

The Next 12 Months...

Daily:

Alignment Questions

These are the 6 questions I ask myself everyday (I fill them out daily using the Lightning Alignment Journal)

1. What would love do through me today?

2. What do I feel inspired to do today? Who do I feel inspired to reach out to, if anyone?

3. What is one thing my future self has already created that I can tune into gratitude for, now?

4. Who will I send blessings and good energy to today? (inspired from The Gentle Art of Blessing by Pierre Pradervand)

5.What are 3 great things that have happened recently?

6. What are 3 incredible things about to happen?

Monthly Review

These are the questions I ask myself monthly to review the month and prep for the month ahead. These are also in the Lightning Alignment Journal.

What worked this month?

What didn't work this month?

What feels heavy that I need to let go of?

What have I been procrastinating that I can prioritize this month?

What is one project I can commit to that would move the needle on my biggest goals? What is the smallest action I can take to get started?

What felt really good to my mind and soul this month?

What am I committed to this upcoming month?

Bonus points: join The Art of Impossible Coaching Cohort so I can help you. Think of it like a launch pad for this process. We are creating what you've never created before.

We are moving through fear. We are expanding your comfort zone.

We start February 6th. 

You can create miracles when you do the work of expanding your comfort zone.

This isn't about an over night success.

This is about growth that feels aligned and soulful to you.

Thanks for reading :)

Love

Amber