Bev James: The Courage to Succeed

Hi, Bev James here. As Managing Director of The Coaching Academy, I have spent years mentoring and coaching successful business owner and Olympic athletes. In my best-selling book, Do It! Or Ditch It, I talked about what most inspired me from all that what I have learned from those who have achieved success.

I realised that across the board… the next level of your success probably lies outside of your comfort zone.

Those who achieve success, who achieve their goals, are the ones that are willing to step out of their comfort zone. Essentially, it’s about getting you from where you are now to where you want to be. This means that change is an absolutely crucial component to success. If you didn’t need to change to achieve your desired outcome, you would already be there. Are you brave enough to step out of your comfort zone and achieve success?

Everyone has the potential to achieve their goal. Confident courage doesn’t develop in the absence of fear- far from it. Confident courage develops from an inner belief that no matter what happens- you will deal with it.

In fact, fear isn’t always a bad thing. It can be your indicator that there is an opportunity to learn, to experience something new and to grow. It means that you are jumping out of your comfort zone, and into your stretch zone.

Imagine three circles in one:

• The inner circle is your comfort zone: it is the circle of familiarity
• The middle circle is your stretch zone: it scares you a little- it is the circle of learning and personal growth. Some people will thrive with the challenges of the stretch zone, others may find it highly uncomfortable
• The outer circle is your panic zone: it is unpredictable, and by its nature will derail you from achieving your goal

Here are my top tips to have the confidence to achieve success 

• Know where you are in the zones: When working through your plan to achieve your goal, be self-aware about the zone in which you are in, and how it is affecting your efforts to succeed.
• Get in the right zone: Spending too much time in the panic zone may cause some people to retreat into their comfort zone. Likewise, stay in the comfort zone and you won’t move forward or grow personally. If you find yourself in the panic zone; approach the task differently, seek support or other resources necessary to move back into the stretch zone- but not the comfort zone! If you have moved into or have stayed firmly in the comfort zone with your goal, what small steps can you take to move yourself slowly into the stretch zone?
• Get used to being uncomfortable Moving yourself into the stretch zone regularly can become a helpful habit for your success. The more you get used to the stretch zone, the more comfortable it becomes. You can then keep moving forward to success. That’s the success habit.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.” -Nelson Mandela

Anyone can develop the tools, skills and habits to be brave enough to succeed. Success is taking the right action on your fears.

Wishing you all the best,

Bev James

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