by Wendi Weiner | Featured Contributor
I remember the precise moment when I first heard a life-changing statement. I was running in the early dawn on a Saturday as part of my training for the 2011 New York City Marathon. It was nearly 90 degrees in the dead of summer in Miami. The humidity was horrific and I repeatedly questioned my sanity for awakening at the ungodly hour of 4:00 a.m. to run over 14 miles.
My coach was beside me. I mumbled to her, “This is really hard.” She turned to me and said, “Of course it’s hard. Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.”
That statement resonated within me at that particular time and it resonated in me those last few painful miles of my first marathon. After I crossed the finish line with my body on empty and my mind completely delirious, I now knew what it was like to push beyond my limits and to feel really uncomfortable, so uncomfortable that I had to become comfortable with being utterly and totally uncomfortable. It was a feeling that was indescribable. They say pain is just weakness leaving your body, and for me, it was exactly that. Getting out of my comfort zone was worth the glory of achieving something truly amazing that literally changed my life, my mindset, and erased any fears I had about taking great leaps.
There are many days when we feel comfortable and at ease in our careers. We can do our jobs blindfolded. We know our daily tasks. We have built relationships with the colleagues in our offices and we go home at the end of the week basking in the glory of that comfort in knowing what the next week will bring. There’s something wondrous in having comfort and consistency. But, what happens when you want to make a change in your career? What happens when you realize you are content and comfortable, but that no longer suits you? What happens when you simply want more and want to take adventurous risks to obtain more?
The questions run through your mind: Do you stay at that “easy job” and collect your paycheck, or do you take a leap of faith and move out of your comfort zone?
This is a question at the forefront for many job seekers, and it was at the forefront of my mind when I left my role as a corporate attorney to become an entrepreneur (and never looked back). We have been in stable positions at stable companies for 10 or even 20 years and now we simply want more.
Moving your career out of its comfort zone can appear scary. You begin to think about all of those “what ifs” and they continuously plague you especially when insomnia greets you at 2 a.m. What if that new job doesn’t work out? What if I hate my new boss? What if I look back and realize it was all a big mistake? What if I fall flat on my face and FAIL!?!
It has been said that “Doubt kills more dreams than failure ever will.” If you doubt yourself and your abilities, others will also doubt those abilities. Life is about taking risks after all.
So here’s my recommendation and expert advice (I did it for myself as well): Take a piece of paper and write down your three strongest skills. Your strongest skills could be traits or competencies such as management, leadership, writing, critical thinking, problem-solving or even process improvement. Now ask yourself honestly, have you maxed out those three skills at your current position?
If you answer “yes” for at least two of those skills, it is time to transport yourself in the Delorean to your next career destination.
Here’s the moral of the story: You deserve to be challenged. You deserve to make more money. You deserve to revel in a position that resonates your passion and skills. You just have to move out of your comfort zone to do it.
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They say life changes dramatically once you run a marathon. To increase her chances of life change, Wendi Weiner ran two marathons (NYC and Chicago) and they allowed her to revel in living life fearlessly and chasing her dreams at all risks.
She’s an attorney-turned-entrepreneur who is creatively known as The Writing Guru, and runs a successful resume and LinkedIn profile services company under that same name. Wendi is the paradigm of what happens when you dream big and hustle even harder – she took her writing and career industry talents to the next level. Her skills have earned her ranking as the #1 Resume Expert, membership as a Forbes Career Coach, an invitation to be a contributor for The Huffington Post, and countless published articles about everything career-related.
Incorporating her analytical legal mind with the highest certifications in the industry (she’s the only Nationally Certified Resume Writer who is also an attorney) has allowed Wendi to serve as the leading authority in resume writing, LinkedIn profiles, and job search strategies. Wendi doesn’t miss a beat – she’s also a board member for The National Resume Writers’ Association and a dedicated philanthropist.
