Do you have trouble getting out of your comfort zone?
Have you been looking for the right strategy and tools to help you take that next step and overcome fearful, scary moments of your life that you never thought you would be able to overcome? If that’s you, keep reading. It’s time to make a change and climb out of that comfort zone!
The Anchor Your Actions Strategy
The Anchor Your Actions strategy is the most powerful technique I have ever used to help people expand and climb out of their comfort zone – and it will change your life.
This strategy has been the secret to overcoming the most terrifying moments of my life in The Vertical, business, and personal arenas.
Without fail, every time, this strategy has helped me find the courage to overcome my fears and climb into the unknown.
This powerful tool and strategy first came into my life in 2011, when I was facing one of the most difficult decisions of my life.
This was a decision that put my family in jeopardy of bankruptcy, introduced an enormous amount of stress, and exposed us to risk that I had worked hard for fifteen years to remove from our lives.
I remember having what seemed like everything I logically needed in place to make a sound decision, yet fear of the unknown – and fear of the chaos that comes with it – kept me from making the final commitment.
I was scared to death.
I was terrified.
I debated between options, went back and forth, called friends and family for their insight and support, and lost days and days of sleep over the decision.
One day, I ran my dilemma by a close friend and climbing partner. After listening to my struggle and reasoning, he asked, “What’s your anchor look like?”
I had no idea what he was talking about.
“What do you mean, my anchor?” I responded with trepidation.
“You know, your anchor. Worst case, what will you do if you go for this option and it doesn’t work? What would you do?”
I responded, and he pressed me for details. He then introduced me to a life changing technique.
He asked me to write down my plan in great detail.
I said: “I just told you what I would do, who I would call first, the next step, and so on. Everything I would do to recover and restart should my crazy idea not work. Why should I write it down?”
And why should I write it down? What difference would it make? My problems would still be the same. But he pushed on.
“Just do it. Trust me. Every detail, every step; write it all down and get it out of your head.”
And so I did.
And my life changed.
As it turns out, when you put pen to paper, fear separates from fact. I don’t think any of us really knew how powerful that key step would be.
Reluctantly, that same day, I took the time and put the pen to paper. And lo and behold: the more I wrote, the more I slowly began to feel the stress of the unknown lose its power over me.
When you think about it, we are all such emotional creatures. Ideas and thoughts that only exist in our heads can drown us in a sea of emotion. They can take over our minds and bodies and take us away from reality.
When we get ideas out of our heads, these emotions fall aside.
I wrote nearly two pages that day. I detailed every tactical and strategic step of my contingency plan.
Then I read it back.
On paper, only the facts remained. I was able to more accurately evaluate the practicality of my anchor.
I came to a sudden realization.
Everything I wrote down was completely reasonable. Every step was doable.
The more I read it, the more I realized:
I can do this!
Writing Your Worst Case Anchor Plan
Whatever you do, don’t skip actually writing out your worst case anchor plan.
The magic is in getting it out of your head.
When I’ve had people do this exercise in a workshop, keynote program, or coaching session and they read it back, more often than not they feel empowered to move forward. Even if they decide to not move forward, they usually feel liberated, knowing they have more fully explored what is possible outside the influence of their emotions.
This exercise can also be used for small acts of courage as well – like asking an uncomfortable question in a meeting, or even having a conversation you’ve been dreading or avoiding.
Use this strategy in every major decision in your life. Use it when getting out of your comfort zone and when you are trying to overcome a huge fear that is weighing you down. It will help you make the right decision and realize what the best option is.
It will help you anchor your actions. And it will change your life.
Want to learn more about how to anchor your actions and climb to excellence? Check out these blog posts!
Finding Incredible Partners
11 Weird but Effective High Performance Sleep Strategies for More Energy
Call the Crux to Cut Through the Chaos
To learn more about my 9 Vertical Lessons for Leading with Impact check out my book Reaching Your Next Summit!
Your climb to excellence is never easy. The human drive within calls us to what is possible.
The principles shared in this book will renew your commitment and inspire your quest for excellence. You will realize more of your potential as you sharpen your focus, act with courage, and generate momentum in reaching your next summit—and beyond.
