Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Written by:
Greta Schulz, President of ProActive Training & Consulting

I heard this story and thought it is so telling about why some salespeople and for that matter businesspeople fail and why some are successful.
A famous Mountain Climbing resort in the Swiss Alps caters to businesses that encourage their employees to hike up the mountain trails together. The goal is to build camaraderie and to teach teamwork. Although it is about an eight-hour trek to the summit, anyone with normal walking ability can reach the top. Each morning, the hikers gather at the base of the mountain for a pep talk before starting the climb. Usually, the group is so excited, they can hardly wait to head up the slopes, to have a group picture taken, and to celebrate their victory.
They hike for several hours before taking a break. Approximately halfway up the mountain stands a quaint alpine restaurant. About noon, the weary hikers trudge into the restaurant, peel off their hiking gear, and plop down by the fireplace to have a cup of coffee, or drink some hot chocolate, and eat their lunch. With the mountain as their backdrop, the hikers savor the warm, cozy, picturesque setting.
Interestingly, after they are full and comfortable, less than half the hikers choose to continue climbing to the top of the mountain. It isn’t because they aren’t able; it isn’t because the climb is too difficult. Their reluctance to continue is simply because they are satisfied with where they are. They lose their drive to excel, to explore new horizons, to experience vistas they’d never previously imagined possible. They have tasted a bit of success, and they think. This is good enough.
In sales, similar happens. We have a goal to reach, like to lose some weight, or to pay off our credit cards. At first, we’re so excited. We’re fired up and we go for it! But over time, we get lazy; we get complacent. Maybe we see a little improvement, but then we get comfortable where we land. Where we are may not be a bad place, but we know it’s not where we’re supposed to be. We’re not stretching ourselves. We’re not pursuing the excellence that we have inside of us.
“Well, Steve, I’m doing pretty well with my goal,” one man said. “I used to smoke two packs of cigarettes a day, and now I smoke only one.” Another person said, “I used to be fifty pounds overweight, but I’ve lost ten pounds recently.”
That’s a good start, and it took some real effort to get where you are. But don’t get comfortable. Don’t be satisfied with a little improvement. Begin believing for better progress, and press on to do your best.
Maybe in sales and you’ve experienced a bit of success. Lately, however, you’ve been thinking that perhaps you’ve reached your limits. You’re not stretching yourself. You aren’t believing that you can reach that next level, you are satisfied with where you are.
You need to step out of your comfort zone. You have so much more in you. Keep pursuing and keep believing. It doesn’t take any more effort to believe and stay filled with drive than it takes to develop a negative and defeated attitude. I am amazed what people can achieve if they want to. So go ahead, want to! Satisfaction is the death of sales and business. Never be satisfied. Once you are, it’s over.