Friday, December 31, 2010

Leave Me in My Comfort Zone!

"Can't I learn AND stay in my comfort zone? I can still learn in my comfort zone, can't I? I know I can, just let me stay here. I'm going to stay here, LEAVE me alone!" my inner self screams, it's just a momentary temper tantrum. It comes and goes, they get smaller and smaller eventually... Don't they? I can only hope!
 
I am the type of personality that has to be perfect, I must please every person in this universe. I must seem like a faultless saint that can do no wrong and only wants to make the world a better place. But I am human! Did you know that EACH and everyone of us is human? (Unless there are some smart horses out there reading this on the computer!) I sometimes forget that, I am a human. How does that quote go? "To be human is to err?"  Well, I be darned, I am programmed to make errors. BUT I CAN'T! Not me.
 
Some of those errors were pointed out in my fast track, and it hit me hard. I had my tail tucked between my legs like a scared little puppy dog! I can not stand it when I make a mistake, I feel like a miserable failure with a life not worth living. But that is all my human emotions taking over, if I use my logic I will soon learn to receive the criticism with grace and move on even more determined than before! That will be my largest mountain to climb, not let my emotions get so totally involved in the process of growing. Lee Palmer, a leader of Parelli University and 3 Star Instructor, gave me a few wonderful and helpful tips on this topic...
 
"Trust in yourself, and if you just do your best every day, with an open mind - you'll have an amazing experience.  It's always good to explore and analyze ways to improve, but try not to get 'paralysis of analysis' - where you think too hard and become over-critical of yourself. At some point, you have to just file away the feedback you've received, and move forward."
 
I myself tend to over analyze myself when criticized and begin to over do my analysis and start to shut down, that's a true paralysis of analysis! Psycho-Cybernetics talks about this in quite a few chapters, and helps you overcome these mountains by using emotional control and ignoring the "bell". I highly recommend this book to anyone who plans to grow and get out of their comfort zone. Thank goodness to this book, I have been set up much better for my externship than I would have been before.
 
John Baar, a 5 Star Master Instructor, my Fast Track Instructor and previous Instructor of the past Externships, also had a few great congruent points for my brain to absorb....
 
"As Linda says "self improvement is rarely comfortable or convenient". Overall, the fact that your feeling a little uncomfortable means that you are on the right track. You are looking on ways to improve, ways to become better and this can cause us to feel uncomfortable.
 
 The biggest piece of advice that I could give you is to go into your externship acting like you, who you are today. Each day we grow, and can be a better version of ourselves, but if you try to act how you think you should, and not who you are/how you feel, you'll only be cheating yourself and slowing your progress.
 
Keep in mind that you will make mistakes, you will 'screw it up', and that's part of the journey! Welcome to feeling uncomfortable, it means your on the right track, and your growing. You'll find most upcoming Instructors are feeling just as uncomfortable, I know I did."
 
I recently finished the book "The E-Myth" by Michael E. Gerber, "Why Most Businesses Don't Work and What To Do About It'. I was reading a quote from a financial mastermind that owned a large chain of hotels, in his attempt to keep his employees to a higher standard of excellence, he often reminded them of quotes like these... " The business is a place where everything we know how to do is tested by what we don't know how to do, and that the conflict between the two is what creates growth, what creates meaning."
 
Why am I going into this externship? To learn. Do I know everything? No. Where does learning take place? Outside my comfort zone. Welcome to feeling uncomfortable, welcome to learning. Enjoy!
 
 
 
 
 

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3 comments:

Priscilla said...

Wow. That is a great thing to know and apply.

PS. I didn't know that John Baar was now a 5 star, last I looked he was a 4 star but I just know looked again and low and behold, there he was. I hope to see you in the 5* column someday.

Caro said...

Great post!! Thank you so much for it!

Parelli Central said...

Great blog post, Mariah. What an adventure :-)

Petra Christensen
Parelli 2Star Junior Instructor
Parelli Central