You don’t have to go outside your comfort zone!! 😕

I visited my physiotherapist the other day.

A physiotherapist keeps applying pressure on the muscle in pain and stops when it gets uncomfortable for you.

If they feel it’s just a little too much, they will back off immediately!

They must back off otherwise they’re doing more harm than good!

Then they wait until the pain goes away and they apply a little bit more pressure.

Again, as much as you can take.

Practising this again and again makes the muscle less tense, the blood circulation is increased in the affected area, they can wron deeper and deeper and slowly, the pain goes away.

A psychotherapist operates entirely within your comfort zone throughout the whole process.

The same with yoga.

Your yoga instructor says that if it’s too much of a stretch, relax, stay there, breathe out, then move into the pose a little bit more if you can. Otherwise stay there.

And when you go back next time all of sudden you see that you can stretch more and more!

You can grow by operating totally within your comfort zone.

When I work with people I look to get results while they operate within their comfort zone.

And when we do that we see that their comfort zone expands!

Walking 500 steps or going around the block is progress for someone who only moves from the kitchen to the bathroom.

If you don’t want to do video, you can write articles and still build phenomenal awareness for your business.

If you’re an introvert, you can still build a successful coaching business without going to every meetup event in your area.

I’m not saying don’t try stuff that challenges you, I’m not saying don’t face your fears, I’m not saying don’t do the extra mile.

All I’m saying is if going outside your comfort zone never worked for you, you can still have results by operating within your comfort zone.

And see your comfort zone expand gradually.

All it takes is creativity and full exploration of your comfort zone!

Elena, my dear, what a beautiful question. I loved your question. I thought about it. I will address this when we start the group coaching calls next month but here’s what I see right now.

I know you’re studying hard to become a judge. Right now the only thing you see in front of you is the exams that you have to pass to become a judge. I know there is no way you can become a judge unless you pass these exams. But can we create a bigger vision than just passing a few exams?

Can we focus on the person you want to be by walking this path towards becoming a judge? You are not studying to pass the exams. No no no! You’re studying so you better serve justice, society, people, tomorrow! Isn’t that more exciting than the exams you have to pass?

Can you spend every minute of your studying as if you’re a judge already? Imagine you are a judge and you’re now reading all these beautiful books, you’re going to classes, you’re probably speaking to other judges, mentors, you learn from others who have gone through the same journey, how beautiful that can be, and, is!!!

Can we shift your perspective here so studying for the exams becomes self-development and professional development? Can you see every minute you spend on exam preparation as a step towards becoming a better judge and a better person? Because if you manage to do that everything else will fall into place including exam success.

You will not just pass the exams. You will shine! The person who will mark your writings or interview you will be inspired by you. They will probably see themselves in you. They will see your light. They will see an exceptional future judge in you! How beautiful, how relaxing, how uplifting all this is! I have a big smile on my face right now. What a vision!

If you follow this approach, every minute spent on “exam prep” will be a minute worth spent. I know that it usually takes more than a year to prepare for these exams… but even if you don’t pass these exams on the first try, trust me, by following this approach you will have gone a lot further than someone who was there just to pass the exams and secure the most high-paying public servant job.

Can you shift your perspective by 180 degrees? How can you love this “exam prep” process irrespective of the outcome? You see I put it in quotes again because this is not exam prep; it’s a journey. It’s 100 times bigger than just exams!

Because at the end of the day, it will be a year or more of your life. How do you want to spend this year of your life?

You mentioned that you now have limited time to spend on reading books, self-development, etc. because you’re studying for the exams. But there’s self-development in this process as I see it. That’s self-development in practice when you change your perspective on this process.

And coming back to the “lack of time for reading books”…, remember this is a journey. A long term journey. A life journey. Tomorrow you will say to me… I have so many cases to go through because you will be a busy judge. But I’ll tell you that you can still make time to read, to create, to get inspired, to do your yoga, to have your quiet time, to go for a walk, to play with your kids. That’s going to make you a better judge. You will see that the most insightful answers will come to you during that time you allocate for recreation. How can someone be the best judge if they don’t allocate time for taking care of their mind, body, creative thinking, no?

I hope this is helpful. I’m so inspired by what you want to create. I’m writing these words and I have so much love for your vision. Angelos.