Welcome to another episode of the podcast that teaches you how to be a ridiculously good virtual assistant.
Today we are talking about beginning to challenge yourself to get out of your comfort zone.
Today’s Quote: The sooner you step away from your comfort zone you’ll realize that it really wasn’t all that comfortable. – Eddie Harris, Jr.
Click the play button above to tune in, or choose your favourite podcast player below:
Connect with Tracey D’Aviero, VA Coach and Trainer
Episode Notes:
Being able to get where you want to go with your VA business takes getting out of your comfort zone.
Sometimes it takes a lot of that.
We feel scared because we have never been where we want to go – and we don’t realllly know if we can get there.
We think we can, we hope we can, we try to plan to get there.
But we don’t really know – and that alone can make us freeze in our tracks.
So we don’t do the things that we know we need to do to get there.
I know I give you a lot of advice about how to grow your business – and a lot of that is mindset work, that you have to push yourself – and we don’t like to do that.
But as Eddie says in our quote – although you think you are comfortable where you are … you’re not. That’s why you are looking for ways to do things differently.
Like listening to this podcast, or taking trainings, or doing endless research online about how to be better, and do better.
What you need to get comfortable with is taking steps that don’t feel so easy.
The best way to do that is to do it with support, of course.
Getting someone to help you through the hard stuff is THE best advice I can give you.
I have to say that the first step is always the hardest.
After that things do get easier. I promise.
But it can be hard to take that first step.
I work with VAs all the time who have that trouble, and we work together through it.
How?
Confidence
First things first, we need to make sure that you are confident in the services you are providing for your clients.
We talk about what you know how to do, and how it helps your clients.
There’s a neat thing that happens when I talk to VAs either on a coaching call, in a group session, or even just a consult.
I ask them what services they offer and very often they will try to recite an elevator pitch which is clunky and awkward.
And then we continue the conversation, and I keep asking them questions.
The more you talk to someone, the more comfortable you get.
We are all nervous, especially in business conversations – as we all try to sound smart and say the right things.
But what we really need to do is just be ourselves.
As I continue asking questions about how the VAs help their clients, inevitably they settle in and get comfortable and then their voice changes.
The confidence begins to come through as they easily describe how they help their clients.
When we stop trying to sell, and just talk, that’s when the confidence shift happens. And make no mistake, your clients will hear it just like I hear it.
So the first thing you should do is remind yourself that you really do know what you are doing – and just be yourself when you are talking to others about your services (and their business).
Challenge yourself to describe clearly how you help your clients, and when you can do that … you will grow your VA business.
Mindset
Fear is a powerful thing. It can stop us from doing so much.
It’s a good thing when it tells you not to jump out of an airplane maybe, but when we are talking about helping clients, it can limit us too much.
And I know it’s not just as simple as saying ‘do it anyway’. I hate that expression – feel the fear and do it anyway. That’s not good advice.
What I teach VAs to do is identify what the fear is and say ‘what is the worst that can happen’.
If it’s about reaching out to clients or attending a networking event, they say the worst is that they don’t get the client.
So you don’t have the client right now, that’s why you don’t want to reach out or attend that event.
But if that’s the worst that can happen, then you’re already there, aren’t you?
Now if the worst thing that can happen is that you say the wrong thing and you might feel embarrassed, then that’s something else all together. Then we work through that.
Mindset shifts aren’t easy either – at least not all the time.
But when we make them and see something from a different angle, it can be very helpful.
For instance, if I tell you to do market research for your business, like I often do for my coaching clients – and that paralyzes you, then we want to get to the bottom of why you find it hard to do.
A lot of VAs just get stuck on it because they feel like they have to sell themselves and that feels gross.
I’m not going to get into the specifics of market research, but I can tell you that there is no selling going on in any of the market research calls that I ask VAs to do when I am working with them. You are not allowed to sell on them, as a matter of fact!
For those that are really stuck, I ask them to approach the exercise as though they are doing it for a client. Why? Because we often jump right into anything a client asks of us.
Think about it. If I asked you to do some market research for me, to talk to 10 people and ask them these specific questions, and collect their answers, and make sure you booked those calls to take place this week … you would say sure! and go ahead and do it.
But it’s when we are doing it for US that is the issue.
So mindset is at work. And that’s what we have to get around.
So pretend it’s not for you. Pretend it’s for me. And go and do it.
That’s how you challenge yourself to do something that makes you feel stuck … and it’s also how you grow your VA business.
Getting Support
I tell you all the time that whatever you don’t know how to do, or whatever you don’t do well, get support it.
Sometimes that means training, and sometimes it means someone.
In this case, when we are holding ourselves back from success, it usually means a person who can help you move through the hard part.
We aren’t meant to do everything on our own.
And if you are stuck in your comfort zone (although we know that you aren’t really comfortable right now), then it could be time to get someone to help you get moving.
That can be one person – a coach, an accountability partner, a colleague, or it can be a group of people – a mastermind group, a business networking group, or a group of colleagues.
Whatever you need is what you should get.
One on one stuff can be great because it’s direct. I have an accountability partner that I reach out to all the time because she knows me and my business and she is available at a moment’s notice.
Group stuff can be great because you get a lot of opinions and advice, which can be really good when you really aren’t sure which way to turn.
But the key is that you ask someone for help.
So many of us working along fail to do that, and we suffer a lot longer than we need to because we are either trying to figure it out all by ourselves, or we are just sitting there doing nothing about it.
Challenge yourself to find support for the things that you are struggling with … and you will grow your VA business.
Lots of people also ask me about getting motivated to do what you need to do every day. I talk a lot about daily actions, but if things aren’t going the way we want them to then motivation is really hard to come by. We can find ourselves just sitting waiting till it comes and getting farther and farther from our goals.
What I suggest instead is processes. Have a process that you can follow to get the hard things done. Just like when you can do something for your clients (and you literally just jump into action if something is for them), setting a process in place and doing the things without emotion involved, can be what you need to help you get moving. One step at at time.
Challenge yourself to create those processes. What are the steps you need to take to get what you want? Grow your VA business.
And the last thing we need to do is celebrate us!
When something good happens, we need to be aware that we are moving forward. Even something small, like posting a comment in a group if you haven’t done that before – or introducing yourself at an event. These things are worth celebrating – every time.
Your mindset will change when you start focusing on what you can do, and what is going right.
Remember that getting out of your comfort zone is a gradual process. It’s about consistently challenging yourself and being open to new experiences. Over time, these daily routines will help you develop the resilience and confidence needed to thrive in unfamiliar territory and achieve personal and professional growth.
Let’s circle back to the quote for today’s episode:
The sooner you step away from your comfort zone you’ll realize that it really wasn’t all that comfortable. – Eddie Harris, Jr.
Gosh, I just love this quote.
I really want you to reflect on this one.
If you think you are comfortable where you are, and that the place you want to go is harder, you are, quite simply, wrong.
And only when you get there will you realize that you were not happy being right here. You ARE not happy.
That should be the biggest motivation of all. But we need to realize it first.
You know you want to move out of where you are right now.
So let’s help you do that. Let’s help you grow your VA business by challenging yourself to do the hard things .. .at your own pace. You can do it! I’m here to help.
It’s the only reason I’m here at all, as you know. To help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I have helped hundreds of VAs who are stuck get moving. I’d love to do the same for you.
We can work together privately, or in The Virtual Circle, my monthly mastermind group, or in my Plan to Profit group coaching program, or you can enroll in some of my self study trainings. I have lots of options to move your forward. Check them out in the show notes for this episode. Thanks for tuning in this week! I’ll see you next time!
What You Need to Do Next:
I am here to help. It’s the only reason I’m here at all, as you know. To help you become a ridiculously good VA.
I’ve helped hundreds of VAs through challenges just like yours, and got them on their way to growing their business and the lifestyle that they dream of. That you dream of.
I’d love to do the same for you.
Let’s work together privately to get you to your really big goal. It’s the fastest way to get results and we can start right away. Learn more about private coaching here.
The Virtual Circle (TVC) is a monthly mastermind group for Virtual Assistants just like you. We get together 3 times a month for group Zoom sessions to talk about what you are struggling with, working on, or celebrating. It’s a close knit community of your VA colleagues that provides the best kind of support for your VA business. Learn more about TVC here.
My self study program Getting Started as a VA can help you get your VA business started easily and quickly too. You can sign up right away and be on your way to getting clients by the end of the program, with all the right foundations in place. Check out the program here.
Reach out to me if you need to talk about where you are stuck and what the right option might be to get you moving. It’s literally all I’m here to do is help you get to where you want to go. Book a complimentary Cut to the Chase call with me here.