Last Friday I found myself way out of my comfort zone.

On four fronts.

First, I had to drive to a venue in Melbourne I had never been to.

I was the guest speaker at a Mag7 luncheon in Docklands. I had to drive to the venue, find a car park and then find the venue.

I am a person who likes to know what I am doing. I also hate being late.

Most people calculate the time of the trip and leave at the appropriate time to arrive right on time. They leave no room for error – with many arriving late.

To counteract this, I left where I was staying two hours early as I was driving in peak hour traffic going to the city.

The thing I love about Wagga’s peak hour is it lasts about two minutes – unlike Melbourne’s!

Once I found a large parking area, I checked out how I was to pay for the privilege of parking so there would be no hold ups when I left.

Next challenge was to find the venue.

With the help of Google Maps, it was easy.

At the venue, I didn’t know anyone except for Gary who was interviewing me. While I love meeting new people and finding out all about them, I can also find it a little daunting.

How do you go meeting people for the first time?

Do you do it with confidence or is it something you try and avoid?

I focus on the joy of finding out who they are and what they stand for. I ask some key questions to get them talking about themselves and I let the conversation develop.

At the Mag7 luncheon it was easy. Every person was friendly and made me feel welcome.

Gary Schuller was interviewing me and it was being videoed.

Most people feel under the pump to get it right.

I have learnt to control my emotions and look forward to the interview. I do this by feeling excited to share my story and my knowledge.

The last challenge was – I had no idea what questions Gary was going to ask me so there was zero preparation. The interview was for 30 minutes with questions from the audience at the end.

Some of Gary’s questions got me thinking on the spot for relevant answers. A question was (not the exact words) “Tell me, with an example, how you would treat a businessperson who is stressed”.

While I know the answers, it is challenging to find the best ones so the attendees find it relevant.

How do I prepare for all this?

The answer is: Trust.

I take about 5 minutes to sit quietly and think about this interview going perfectly. I see myself answering the questions in a way that is relevant for the attendees. I trust the right answers will appear. I trust myself to speak clearly and fluently.

And it all worked.

Feedback from Gary said everyone found it really interesting.

Develop trust that whatever you have to do is going to work out exactly the way you want it to.

It is easy to feel out of your comfort zone.

Develop strategies that can help you feel great and enlarge your comfort zone.

You can do it.

Make good things happen …

Clive