I heard a great quote a while back, that “Growth happens on the other side of our comfort zone”. Why is it that people have such an aversion to stretching their comfort zones? They’re afraid, right? Afraid of the unknown. I have a suggestion for handling this sort of dilemma. It involves combining the feeling of anticipatory excitement with being afraid. Doing so will push you outside of your safe zone to the other side which is where growth occurs.

But you need both fear and excitement to pull this off. Because if you just are afraid without the feeling of excitement, then there is no real motivation. And if you’re just excited and not afraid, there is no challenge, no stretching, no actuation. There is a space and time between external stimulus and your response to said stimulus. In that space is where your personal power resides, and how you respond dictates your ability to grow. 

Also, we are not talking about reacting to the outside world. Instead, you are responding which is very different. Reacting is less controlled, habitual, instinctive, and impulsive. Where responding is a deliberate action that involves considering the situation, weighing options, and making a conscious decision based on a principally based belief system.
 
You owe it to yourself, your team members, clients, and partners to be on your game. If you are stagnant and bored, take a step back and ask yourself what it would take to infuse excitement into your work? Then ask what it would take to make you afraid? At the intersection between the two is where you will locate your personal power apex. Remember, in every moment, you are either growing into more or retreating into less. Be bold and choose growth.