How do you feel with the prospect of doing something new?

Do your palms start to sweat? Your stomach curdle?

Does your inner chatter start to go crazy?

The good news is that’s perfectly normal; perfectly human.

See our ego mind – what some call the monkey mind – is programmed through evolution to keep us safe so anything that is new, different, challenges the status quo or is unknown or represents growth and development, it sees as a threat.

So it has a magician’s hat of magic tricks to keep us in our comfort zone. Everything from fears and excuses to expectations of what we should and how we should behave.

I set myself another challenge in my bid to push myself outside my comfort zone to raise awareness of the self-limiting beliefs, stories and excuses we tell ourselves which can hold us back.

This challenge was to try something new.

For a while now I’ve been wanting to try yoga and it just so happens that down the road is a class.

I’ve done a good job during the past few months of not going – I’ve come up with the excuse that I’m too busy and I’m too tired. I’ve felt the fear and anxiety of going by myself and having to talk to people I don’t know and worrying about whether they might judge me. I’ve thought maybe I won’t like it or I wont be very good at it so what’s the point.

My ego mind has done a good job of keeping me in my comfort zone.

But no more.

I donned my Lycra, grabbed a mat I’d bought in preparation and entered the hall where about 15 women chatted amicably.

In the perfumed semi-dark I contorted myself into baby cobra and downward dog and felt my legs shake in the lunges.

It was a new but revitalising experience.

I was slightly late so only had the chance to talk to the instructor who was lovely – and was possibly more nervous about having a newbie in the class than I was about being the newbie.

Bottom line – everything I was worried about didn’t eventuate. All my excuses were made up fluff – I felt great afterwards!

We are designed and meant to grow and develop and thrive beyond the perceived “safety” of our comfort zone.

But so often we let our ego mind dictate what we do.

Being aware of that is the first step to rediscovering you and becoming the person you want to be.

#ownyourawesome

PS – I’m a self-belief coach – I point to the truth that we are stronger, more capable, more resilient and more awesome than we think we are. Is there something new you want to try but don’t feel like you have the guts to do it? Let’s talk.

PPS – If you know someone who might benefit from coaching or this post, please share!