Last night I realized I wasn’t practicing what I preach. For the past two weeks I have felt very unmotivated which is highly unusual for me. I love what I do and so enjoy my clients but for some reason the past two weeks have been tough. It could have been all the recent distractions, my daughter moving home from studying in Europe, two of our kids graduating college next week combined with Easter, and two more family birthdays May 1 & 6th. But I knew that these are constant and every day distractions. I mean really as a working Mom do you EVER experience a time when life doesn’t get in the way of your business routine? My lack of motivation got to a point where I felt I really needed to spend some time alone to think about it, to let my body and soul talk to me.
So as I was driving to Yoga last night it hit me, I’m not practicing what I preach! For weeks now I have been working with my clients to help them spend more time in the Learning Zone. The learning zone is that place where you feel uncomfortable. Most of us spend the bulk (or all) of our time working hard and doing our regular routine but all of which is in our Comfort Zone. While time in the comfort zone helps you create more discipline and enhance your skills without creating opportunities to move to the learning zone we really never grow and progress which in my case can cause boredom and apathy.
Think of it like a person training for a marathon, this isn’t someone who just wants to finish and check it off their list, this is someone who really wants to compete and has a goal. This person could go out and run the distance day after day, this discipline is important but it also becomes the comfort zone. Those that really want to excel will incorporate activities that push them out of that comfort zone for short periods of time. For a runner it may be doing intervals and sprints, while painful and terribly uncomfortable this will help the runner increase their strength, speed and endurance. A runner may also spend time working with weights, pushing themselves not just for “toning” but to develop more power. Without these activities incorporated into their training program they may never achieve what they want.
It’s important to recognize that these “Learning Zone” activities can’t be done all the time. Like a marathoner we need to incorporate daily activities into our business that are new, force us to try and incorporate skills that we may not be so comfortable with. These are the activities that will not only enhance your performance but it is the progress you make as a result of these activities that inspire and motivate you on a daily basis. THIS IS WHAT I HAVE BEEN MISSING! I’ve been stuck in my comfort zone. Watch for my next blog and I will share with you how I intend to move into the Learning Circle.
So here is my question for you as a financial advisor:
What activities can/should you incorporate into your daily business that will move you into the Learning Zone and enhance your skills and abilities as a financial advisor?
