I have a small business client who is on the path to success. I know this because he shares many of the success traits and Rich Habits that I found in the rich people that were part of my Rich Habits study. He’s not a self-made millionaire yet but he’s trying every day.
I love talking to this client because he is a self-improvement fanatic and fascinated with my Rich Habits research. The desire to improve every day is a Rich Habit that was common among many of the rich in my study. He shares another success trait with the self-made millionaires in my study – he’s obsessed with sharing his knowledge with others. Sixty-eight percent of the wealthy in my study had the Rich Habit of mentoring others.
We had a meeting recently to do some retirement planning. At the beginning of the meeting his cell phone rang. It was one of his employees he was mentoring. This employee was doing a consultation with a client and was calling because she wanted my client (her mentor employer) there at the meeting with her. He told her he won’t be at the consultation. He said he was with his accountant and that she would just have to fly solo on this one. I could hear her pleading with him over the phone to leave her accountant and come to the office. Very calmly, my client told her, “You know what to do. I believe in you. You will do a great job. Stop worrying and believe in yourself.” She continued to plead with him but my client simply said, “I have to go now, my accountant is waiting.” He hung up the phone and told me that in order to help others grow you need to force them outside their comfort zone.
Each individual has a circle. Inside that circle are the things you are comfortable doing. Those things inside your circle represents your comfort zone. Most do everything humanly possible to stay within their comfort zone. When you do things that are outside your comfort zone and outside that circle, it causes discomfort. But each time you engage in an activity that causes discomfort, you expand your circle; you grow as an individual. That discomfort is oftentimes painful. Growth is painful. Stretching your circle by engaging in activities that cause discomfort is painful. But it’s also necessary if you want to grow and growth is part of the success journey. You can’t succeed in life by staying in your comfort zone. You have to expand your circle in order to become successful in life.
You have to engage in activities that cause discomfort and this means you must experience the pain of growth. Those who do not succeed in life, avoid doing things that cause them discomfort and pain. As a result, they never grow into the individuals they need to become in order for success to visit them. Start stretching your circle today. Never fear the pain of growth. It is that very pain that makes you stronger and helps you grow into the person you need to be in order for success to visit you.
About Thomas C. Corley
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