You may be holding your business or work performance back - and you don't even know it... Years ago, when baby elephants were taken to be trained for the circus, they had to go through a conditioning process so that could live in captivity.  From a very early age, the baby elephant has a heavy chain attached to its leg, which is also bolted to a wall.  If the baby elephant tried to escape, it would soon learn that no matter hard it pulled on the chain, it was not able to get away.  As the elephant grew, the heavy chain is replaced with a lighter chain and then, eventually, replaced with a light rope.  In many circuses you could see fully grown elephants, many times the power and strength of a human, be lead around by a light piece of rope that is loosely attached to flimsy stand and the elephant does not move or try to pull away.  Why?  Because, mentally, the elephant believes that, no matter how hard it tries to pull away, it won't be able to break the rope - so it gives up.   You have your own 'imaginary' rope holding you back called limiting beliefs, self-doubt, low confidence or low self-esteem.    These 'imaginary ropes' creates a comfort zone that stop you from persevering when faced with challenges.  Also known as procrastination, distraction or avoidance, your fears and lack of confidence keep you locked into a reduced working capacity.  Leaned helplessness, overwhelm self-doubt, and fear create the boundaries of your comfort zone.   Unfortunately your comfort zone also becomes your prison and limits the degree of effort you put into driving a project, dealing with a challenge or overcoming an adversity.  Working in a comfort zone may lead to: * Becoming less proactive in marketing your business * Forgetting to nurture your business relationships and build new ones * Spending less time getting involved with your team to enhance their productivity * Not push yourself to excel, but put in just enough effort to get the job done. * Getting bored with your work and   A comfort zone is a recipe for a rut. So, what is the solution? Get mentally tough To become resilient to pressure, you must deliberately push past your comfort zones and break your inertia.   After a gruelling two hour, non-stop karate training session, my Martial Arts instructor turned to us and said, "In karate, the only way to improve is by getting past your pain barrier.  If you only train to the point of comfort, you will never improve.  You will stay the same skill level forever - actually you will go backwards because will stop refining and developing sharp techniques.  If you never improve then eventually you will become bored and stop training altogether".   A motivational mindset - becoming mentally tough - helps you to develop the drive to push past your comfort zone to achieve what you want.    Most things that you want sit just outside your comfort zone.    "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare;  it is because we do not dare that they are difficult"  - Seneca Stress is the result of not knowing how to use your mind to motivate yourself to get past your comfort zone to accomplish what you want.  Action Steps:  There are 5 steps involved in becoming mentally TOUGH so that you can push yourself past your comfort zone in business, work and life. They are: 1. Target the Focus: Develop a strong vision, a clear understanding of what it is that you want to achieve. 2. Outline your Purpose: Get clear on 'why' this is important to you to accomplish.  You reason 'why' will ultimately become your driving force. 3. Unpack the Steps: Document the steps you need to take in order to reach your target. 4. Get over the excuses: Excuses will keep you locked away in your comfort zone.  Stop using them and just get on with it! 5. Have a System of action: Create an action plan that spells out what action needs to be taken and when.  Become very clear on what new patterns and behaviours you need to develop to reach your goal. Michael Licenblat B.Sc.(Psych) is a Resilience Expert who helps people in business bounce back fast from pressure, stress and burnout in their work and life. He is a professional speaker, coach and author of three books.   To download your free special report on the ‘Seven ways to prevent yourself becoming Over-Worked, Stressed-Out, and Run-Down’, visit: http://www.BounceBackFast.com Please Note: You are welcome to use my articles in your ezine, newsletter, journal, publication, etc., on the condition that you do not change the content or the article, and that you include my contact name and website details (as written in the table/box above).