What does red lipstick have to do with how you’ll get out of your comfort zone? I’m about to tell you.

I belong to a group of copywriters. We meet four times a year and talk about what’s working, what isn’t, what cool things are happening in the online world, whose emails are getting opened, the whole she-bang.

One thing they are all pushing is social media. They all do video blogs (better known as vlogs), Instagram, Facebook, and now they are all hot about TikTok. It’s the RAGE. They agreed we should regularly be posting. “Regularly” = 8+ times a day!!!

I’m an outlier. Luckily, I know all about TikTok from my teenagers. They do not feel like I should be on TikTok AT ALL. (Step over kids, the ADULTS are moving in on you AGAIN!)

But the truth is I’m a very private person. I’m not interested in sharing my life with the greater population of the world.

And when I told them about my first five-day Lipstick Challenge? They laughed. The impact of it was lost on them.

But for me to show up on Instagram for a whole 12 days in a row— now that was BIG.

But only from my perspective.

Your comfort zone is unique to you

The others in my group are posting 5-8 times a day. I think I can safely assume they aren’t the primary caretakers for their kids, dogs, parents, etc. because I was pretty overwhelmed posting ONCE a day.

(Did you notice my postings on Instagram? If not, follow me! I am sure I will eventually talk about something BEYOND The Lipstick Challenge, though that was life-changing!)

The thing is, getting onto Instagram pushed me right outside of my comfort zone, where I must admit, I was pretty comfy.

What it forced me to do was REFRAME who I am and who I serve.

At heart, I’m a marketer. I love marketing. What I love about marketing is helping people make connections with other people and ideas to help move their lives forward.

I lead workshops and retreats on goal-setting, and yet, I have seen the same goals on my goal list for more than one year in a row. What’s that about? The problem is knowing how to do something versus actually DOING it are two very different things.

Knowing I should be on social media and being on social media is very different. I decided it was time to leap. And with that leap, came the second leap and the third. I put my lipstick on, and I posted.

Then a funny thing happened.

I was motivated to go for a run.

I have not been running since I got back from France–that was 2016! I ran while I was in France almost every day. But I would just bop out my door and run.

Here I had to do it in the morning, and I had the dogs, and the kids had to get up a lot earlier… one excuse after another.

Reframing my day

And then came the reframe. I can run at lunch. I can run in the afternoon. No one said that I have to run in the mornings EXCEPT ME!

It all started with The Miracle Morning book. I thought I had to do all my good work in the mornings. But lo and behold, there is life outside of mornings.

It’s a nice break from sitting at my desk all day. Go out for a quick run! Why not?

Once I got that through my head, a whole new world opened for me — the world of opportunity. My miracle morning didn’t have to include EVERYTHING. I can do things at other times during the day. It is possible.

Sometimes you paint yourself into a corner.

Then you have to climb out the window.

So I reframed my ideal day to create a day that is flexible and allows me to run when I want to run. And I reframed social media to be about breaking old ways and creating new ways… new habits. Wearing lipstick and posting.

And it all started with The Lipstick Challenge. I challenged myself to wear lipstick all week. And then for a second week, and a third.

I am crashing through my boundaries here!

How will you get out of YOUR comfort zone?

But the whole reason I am sharing this with you is that I want YOU to do the same thing, to see the possibilities of breaking out of old habits that no longer serve you and start something new that serves you better.

And I want you to notice I am NOT spending lots of time on proper lighting or mascara or cleaning the background or any of that. It’s a spontaneous shot, and off it goes.

It’s not about PERFECTION, and it’s about getting it done.

After all, it’s a fricken social media post, not the Sistine Chapel! I don’t think any of you are sitting around analyzing it. No one cares all that much. What people care about is what’s in it for them.

Now I’ve gotten over my angst about posting on Instagram, maybe I’ll learn to take better shots or how to edit the photos. But I’m not a photographer. I’m a copywriter. I write sales letters and blogs.

But I would like some more delightful pictures for my blog now that I think about it. OK. I’ll learn to take better photos.

So, get out of your old ways of doing things that are no longer serving you. Try something new like red lipstick, for instance. See how making one small change has ramifications in other areas of your life.

(Intrigued by the Lipstick Challenge? Don’t miss: Spotted, Pale, & In Need of Lipstick: Things We Don’t Talk About)

It all starts with making that one small change. The micro change to get out of your comfort zone. And I know you. You’ve got this!

Rock and roll this week!

Hugs,
Alicia

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