Phil Stutz and Barry Michels wrote a great book called The Tools. There are five Tools in the book and we may chat about others later but I want to focus on the first for now.
Phil and Barry tell us that most people like to live within their comfort zones.
Why is that?
Well, what does it feel like outside of our comfort zones? By definition, it’s uncomfortable.
And, most people hate feeling any level of discomfort so they pretty much do everything they can to avoid the pain of being outside their comfort zone.
Now, that’s great if being mediocre is your goal, but not so great if you’re serious about stepping up into your heroic potential.
Here’s the deal: Your INFINITE (!!!) potential exists just on the other side of your comfort zone. Every single great thing you’re capable of exists OUTSIDE of your current comfort zone.
And what does the barrier between your comfort zone and your infinite potential zone feel like?
Pain. Fear. Doubt. Anxiety. Fill in the blank with your favorite negative emotion.
Ok. So, knowing that your infinite potential exists on the other side of your comfort zone and that we feel pain/discomfort/etc. when we exit our comfort zone en route to our infinite potential, if we’re serious about optimizing our lives and reaching our heroic potential, we need to REVERSE OUR DESIRE—rather than try to avoid pain, we need to learn to love it. We need to see those moments when our heart skips a beat and our palms start to sweat as the gifts that they are—tickets to our destiny.
The Tool? It’s simple. The next time you feel even an inkling of fear/doubt/etc., practice saying to yourself (more precisely, Phil and Barry tell us to SCREAM to yourself), “BRING IT ON!!!!!!!”
Continue the chant by saying “I LOVE PAIN!! PAIN SETS ME FREE!!”
Try it. It works.
See you in your Infinite Potential Zone!