Do you want to expand your horizons? Venturing into the unknown can be scary, but you can succeed if you embrace change. Try these simple ways to change.
Expand Your Horizons: Ways to Embrace Change
You say you want to expand your horizons. No one wants to stay in a dead-end job, a lifeless marriage, or a dismal socioeconomic state. However, making sacrifices and seeking a better life means leaving your comfort zone to embrace change. But how do you do that and succeed?
“Your greatness is measured by your horizons.” — Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Determine the Roadblocks
Where are you now? Do you feel stuck, have no immediate prospects of advancement, or find your job no longer enjoyable? The first step in expanding your horizons is to figure out the roadblocks. This involves a rigorous assessment of your life that may not always be pleasant. However, it will be illuminating.
“Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” – James Baldwin
Common Roadblocks:
- Complacency—You’re good at what you do, know what’s expected, and always deliver. There’s no excitement, but it’s a steady income with no surprises. However, this security comes with a cost. There’s nothing to look forward to, and you don’t grow.
- Stagnation—You have become complacent and are treading water. Without progress, you will stagnate and become increasingly frustrated. How do you know this is happening? You are on automatic pilot, doing the same thing, with slight variation.
- Economic Necessity – If you stay at a job because you have to support your family, even if you hate what you do, the joyless work will continue to rob your life of meaning.
“What we fear doing most is usually what we most need to do.” – Tim Ferriss
- Fear – Venturing into the unknown is a hurdle many dread. They want certainty, not uncertainty. The underlying roadblocks are fear of failure, success, not being good enough, being found out, finding out that the goal is unsatisfying, or no longer wanting it.
Expand Your Horizons: Figure Out Your Goals
The next step to expand your horizons involves figuring out where you want to go. What are your goals? This may be challenging if you’ve never done it for anything substantial, like your career, relationships, education, finances, or personal happiness. However, determining and setting goals permits you to see beyond today’s situation and envision a better future.
“Goals are dreams with deadlines.”
Diana Scharf
Why Goal Setting Is Essential
Without goals, you have nothing to work toward. Every day is alike, and there’s no motivation to challenge yourself or push you to succeed. Setting goals stimulates you to make changes, grow in small steps, and achieve what you want. However, once you set your goals, you need a plan.
Expand Your Horizons: Trust Your Inner Vision
“When our inner vision opens, our horizons expand.” – Louise Hay
Louise Hay
Suppose you dream of becoming a successful architect. You enjoy creating models that illustrate your inner vision. However, your current career relies more on other talents than your passion. If you believe in yourself, trust your inner vision.
- Construct a plan that permits you to achieve your dream goal.
- Devise a timetable to allow successful completion of prerequisites for the career.
- Network with others in your desired career so you have contacts who can help.
Understand Your Emotions: Accept the Ride
As you change and navigate toward a new horizon, things will likely be bumpy. This includes emotional turmoil that sometimes feels overwhelming. What can you expect? The range will vary, but may consist of negative and positive emotions:
Negative Emotions
- Anxiety
- Fear
- Anger
- Uncertainty
- Confusion
- Loneliness
- Sadness
- Despair
Positive Emotions
- Acceptance
- Confidence
- Enthusiasm
- Excitement
- Happiness
- Hope
- Joy
- Inspiration
- Pride
Pursue Your Passion to Expand Your Horizons
Nothing gets you more excited than doing something you feel passionate about. Looking ahead, how can you incorporate your passion into your life? For example, you may be able to transfer skills you have to physically create works of art to be creative in an office environment. Use your creativity in written and spoken words, proposing innovative solutions, and envisioning new approaches your organization may take.
“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”
Oprah Winfrey
Remember that many opportunities present themselves through your passions.
Take Stock of Your Strengths
You have many talents, some of which you may not recognize. Expanding your horizons means using your strengths to your advantage. When you focus on what you want, let the changes that occur showcase your strengths.
- What do you do best?
- Identify your particular strengths or talents. For example, you may possess organizational ability or are adept at spotting emerging trends.
Expand Your Horizons: Capitalize on Success
Leverage past achievements to propel you forward. Everyone has some success that means something to them. Your accomplishments likely reflect your strengths and passion.
Recognize the Lesson in Mistakes
Will everything go smoothly when you push out of your comfort zone? Most likely, no. However, mistakes are not failures. The secret to making progress is learning from them.
Adopt a Change Mindset
Change must occur if you want to grow. Growing means expanding your horizons. Since change and growth are intertwined, to succeed requires an appropriate mindset. Things are going to be different.
What Is a Change Mindset
The mindset to embrace change encompasses the following:
- Curiosity about what will happen.
- Thinking about the possibilities and how things fit together.
- Commitment to identifying advantages and opportunities instead of obstacles.
- Maintaining perspective to motivate you to act positively and deliberately.
Enjoy the Adventure
Think of your journey into the unknown, as an adventure. Expanding horizons involves many changes. Some can be scary, challenging, and uncertain – but only if you regard them negatively. Instead, look at the changes ahead as an extraordinary experience, something that is exciting, fun, rewarding, and memorable.
