Unique opportunities fall into your lap very occasionally but when they do, are you taking them? You only need one thing to make it happen - The ability to move out of your comfort zone.

We can miss opportunities a lot. Some don’t even register as we’re too busy with the task at hand that even contemplating looking at something new does not register. Or we’re enjoying what we’re doing so much, happy with how things are so together that thinking about rocking the boat with new action is quickly dismissed.

On the occasion you do get a shiver of excitement that this could be exactly what you need, the very next thought is fear based. Without saying anything to yourself or anyone else your whole body knows you will have to move out of your comfort zone to go after this. This first mindset hurdle takes a lot of players out of the game. The image for this article says it all for me. The opportunity is up there surrounded by four forbidding but wondrous skyscrapers and you have to move up out of your comfort zone to new scarier heights to be successful.

We read everywhere that you need to be out of your comfort zone and constantly growing. But let's be real here, that does not happen or attrition in companies would be akin to pandemic scale. You could say it's good attrition as the person is learning up and out but from a company perspective it's another lost bum on a seat and overheads to rehire and retrain. Businesses need to do the same work day in day out to be efficient and survive, not just innovate and do cool growth stuff. So a healthy balance of having employees doing what they are good at everyday while finding ways for them to grow, innovate and be happy is the order of the day.

The reality is we only move out of our comfort zone if there is some major push to do so. Like a major event such as impending redundancy or reducing team sizes where you need to do more with less.

Or your manager lands you with some major stretch goals that prick the hairs on your neck as you envision working out of your comfort zone. It can be so traumatic you avoid your 1:1’s for a time and chances are you won’t let yourself jump out of your comfort zone at all.

Or you get to a stage of flat out boredom, sick and tired and enough is enough. 

Apart from these major incidents you either enjoy the pleasant sail in your role, knowing you can handle the everyday work and happy picking up the paycheck every month or you suffer in silence knowing you should do more for your career and job or leave the role and follow what makes you happier but the fear of what might happen out of the comfort zone stops you.

Don’t get me wrong, most people work hard and are passionate about their job but generally work within their comfort zone. So when an opportunity either in the company or elsewhere arises, there is not enough experience operating out of the comfort zone to realise that folks can do it and have all the resources they need if their mindset would stop holding them back. Exceptions to this are: 1.) The 2%er’s who are always moving forward, always taking the opportunities that align to their future plans (yes they always have a plan). 2.) The serial interviewers who apply for new and bigger roles or take on new tasks but are not successful due to lack of self-awareness of what is needed and not enough growth (out of comfort zone work) in their current position to build success and hard/soft skill competence.

Opportunities fall into the laps of businesses too and since people run those businesses the same process occurs. That's why it's important CEO’s have a natural mix of opportunist strategic positive thinking backed up with a healthy foundation of operations excellence. A company I worked for was approached by a major brand to step in and supply a technical solution because another company let them down. With worldwide deadlines and manufacturing dates in place a solution was needed soon. My company didn’t have an out of the box solution in place, were not in that business but knew it had the mix to put it together, with passion and hard work filling the gaps. They went after it, went majorly out of their comfort zone and to this day are a major supplier to that major brand which meant they got even more business from other brands too and now experts in that field.

So how can we all take the opportunity and bask in the exponential results that come with it?

Notice the signs of opportunity

When the shiver of excitement ripples through you followed by a discomforting feeling that follows a potential opportunity, STOP. Now is not the time to weigh it up in your head. Just be happy you noticed the opportunity. It does not mean you must go after it, it does not mean you’ve lost something if you don’t. Be grateful you spotted it and move onto the next step. 

Be logical first

Look at your skills, knowledge, experience and past results first. As the late Colin Powell advised, if you are certain about 70% of the information you can make a positive decision and go for it. Through passion, energy and work, you will find and understand the final 30%. So ask yourself is this something you really want and aligns with where you see yourself going, your purpose. If yes you will eat up that 30%.

Talk to someone

You won’t convince your unconscious mind this is an exciting opportunity to go after on your own. It’s had too many years building anti-risk protection that will stop you. Talk to someone about the task, your skills, experience etc. and for some healthy reinforcement. In a company setting, bring the key stakeholders together and talk through it. You will find it looks less daunting when options and plans start to formulate with positive reinforcement in current abilities. 

Act as if

Jump into the headspace that you are already doing this role/task, are an expert and following a plan to be successful. How do companies or individuals get their very first client? In most cases they are “Acting as if” they have many successful clients already. When looking back they usually find that in those early years the first clients were the happiest. They could give them much more time while easier to act as if with a few clients and build from there.

Focus on the first step

Identify the first thing you need to do and start it. Get on the first run of the ladder. This is so important as it starts to make it real and shows you its only another task you need to break down and focus on. Your first success is on the other side of this first task.

Build out your plan 

Finally build out your task list and go for it like it was any other project you’ve done in the past. As long as you have a healthy mix of uncomfortable tasks you will know you are out of your comfort zone and heading in the right direction.

Think of the view when you climb the skyscraper. You’ll be looking out and beyond to newer heights instead of way down there looking up and wondering what if.