Financial Goals - LESSON - 6

This  lesson  is about   comfort zone.   In Lesson 3, t here is a brief explanation about this.

In order to grow your comfort zone, make a list of habits which you want to stretch or expand so that, in turn, your comfort zone also expands. Then start with that habit where you feel the least resistance to expand. ( such as ” I always take a left turn at the next Traffic signal.”) Consider what could happen if you slightly change your daily route. Of course, there is a resistance to change. But ask yourself “why do I resist?”. You’ll find that there is no reason at all – except that you don’t feel like doing it. So, when you have nothing to lose, why can’t you try?

When you do change, you’ll see that the modified habit (change of route in the above example) does not, in anyway, affect your routine. On the other hand, you’ll feel elated. Do it for a couple of times - and you’ll see that your resistance has vanished. Now, choose another habit from your list and repeat the process. 

Sooner or later, you’ll come to a habit where you are afraid to change. This happens to everybody. Let’s therefore look in detail at the nature of fear.

According to Napoleon Hill, the author of THINK AND GROW RICH, there are six basic fears. They are:

The fear of poverty 

The fear of criticism 

The fear of ill health 

The fear of loss of love of someone

The fear of old age

The fear of death.

He also says that all other fears can be grouped under one of these six fears.

Obviously, fear of expanding one’s comfort zone falls under the second category: the fear of criticism.

Now, it is not enough just to know the classification of fear. You need to attack it if you want to grow. Here’s one way to go about it:

Take a sheet of paper. Write down the various ways of how people can criticize you. Will they laugh at you? Will they pass comments? Will they question you? Will your husband/wife/boss/neighbour pull you up? Please observe that all these questions can arise only in your mind and NOT outside of yourself. This means, in all probability, they are nothing but a fragment of your imagination! Also observe that your level of self-esteem is indirectly proportional to the value YOU assign to others’ criticism. It is you who measure the value and ascribe it to others! It is you who measure the criticism – perhaps on a scale of 0 to 10 – and then you simply conclude that it hurts! Now, what does this mean? Well, this means that you have allowed other people to decide the level of your own self-esteem. Don’t you feel for a moment that this is utterly absurd? How can you allow anybody to “decide” and ascribe a value to the level of your self-esteem? What do they know about you which you yourself do not know? What makes you think that they are in a better position to judge or criticize you? What makes you feel that you should stick to your present behavior so that they can approve your behavior?

And, finally, what makes you think that it is your duty to listen to them and forego all your dreams?

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”

- Oscar Wilde

I don’t mean to be philosophical here, but if you go deep inside your mind, you’ll find the real reason. You may find it bitter:

You feel that others are always judging you routinely because you are doing it yourself routinely.

Otherwise, how can you “know” what is on their mind? If a particular feeling is NOT already residing in your own mind, how can you recognize it in others? ( It is because of this truth that all Enlightened Masters have observed that others are only a reflection of us. ).

“ They are us.” - Ayn Rand

Stop judging others and you’ll see that others stop judging you. That is how you can remove the fear of criticism. And once this fear is gone, it’ll be easy for you to expand your comfort zone.

As your comfort zone expands, your self confidence also grows. This will enable you to take more risks so that you can diversify your investments which are considered risky. And you’ll find that you can enjoy life more fully!

A tortoise can make progress only when it sticks out its neck. Is there any risk if it sticks out its neck? You bet!