You Can’t Slalom in the Boat’s Wake

In our last blog post, we talked about how we can limit ourselves by our narrow thinking and perspective, typically without even realizing it.  Today I’d like to talk about another way we can limit ourselves, and this time we actually do know that we’re limiting ourselves.

Sometimes we live our lives within a very narrow corridor.  We do this because we feel safe and comfortable within the walls of our corridor.  To move outside these walls of safety raises our anxiety (whether we’re tuned into it or not)–maybe it even creates fear.

So there is a trade-off.  To stay within our comfort zone is to feel, well, comfortable.

And what’s the downside of staying within our comfort zone?  We miss a lot of life!

• We miss out on opportunities.

• We miss out on relationships.

• We miss out on new, enriching experiences.

• We miss out on growth.

• We miss out on advancement.

In order for any of us to advance, progress, or grow, it’s imperative that we go beyond our comfort zone.  Yes, in order to grow and enlarge our capacity, we need to push beyond the limits we’re comfortable living within.

We need to change the thermostat that we’ve been living under and re-calibrate ourselves to a new “normal”.

This is true regardless of our particular area of pursuit.

When I was a kid I had the opportunity to go water skiing a couple times—not enough to really get any good or do anything fancy, but I was able to make it a good ways around the lake without much trouble.

My uncle was an excellent water skier.  He could do the fancy stuff.  He was the one that taught me.

I was at the point where I probably could’ve ventured into the next level.  But one thing was necessary in order to get to this next level, which apparently was like a doorway into a lot more fun . . . eventually (first I would have to fall a few dozen times as I learned a new set of skills at this next level).

What is this “one thing” that was necessary for me to do?  I needed to cross over the wake.

When you learn to water ski, you do so directly behind the boat, in the boat’s wake.  It’s the only way to learn, I’d imagine (trust me, I’m no expert).

The boat’s wake is “safe”.  You are contained within the boundaries of water behind the boat, created by the boat’s propulsion forward.  You are in the land of the soft bubbling and churning water.

But to do exciting water skiing, you gotta cross that ridge of water and venture outside this corridor of comfort.

Once you cross over and break out, you can do things like slalom on one ski. But you can’t slalom in the wake!  Your options are really limited if you stay there.

So there’s this one challenge—crossing the ridge of water created by the wake and “swinging out” so that you can get into that open water.

It’s a growth milestone, getting past that ridge.  It can raise the anxiety a bit when first learning.

Since I had only water skied a couple times as a kid, I hadn’t quite developed the confidence or mustered up the courage to swing out into this new territory.

So I leveled-out at staying behind the boat, doing the basics, and being thrilled that I was able to at least go for a good distance before falling.

So, how have you been living lately?  Is there an area of your life where:

• you have become enslaved to the status quo?

• you are restricting and limiting yourself by not even considering certain choices or options that are outside the wake?

• you say “no” too quickly, because something scares you, without really thinking it through calmly?

• you’ve become “addicted” to being comfortable and safe?

• you’ve become frustrated because of your lack of growth and progress?

• You’ve become bored to tears?

• you feel so stuck?

I invite you to take a serious look at this area where these questions ring true.  Break out of this before it becomes a pattern and that road becomes a well-traveled path with tire tracks etched deeply into the ground.

Or, if these status quo behaviors have already become deep ruts, you can still escape and get a new trajectory going for yourself.

It’s never too late.  Make a decision to stop living below your greatness.

Hey—have you read my e-book 7 Pillars of High Performance?  I give some ideas and solutions for breaking free of your own self-limitation.   Check it out by signing up for free in the sidebar on the right.  I’ll email it to you immediately.

And get out of the wake!