How do you know when your "comfort zone" is holding you back from your "performance zone"? How ingrained are some of your behaviors that may unconsciously be undermining your every effort at achieving your goals? In this month's Creativity Zone, you will learn how to explore your self-imposed limitations and break free from them so you can stretch into new areas of yourself you didn't know you had!

I once took a course in public speaking. The program was designed for business executives who wanted to sharpen their presentation skills and overcome their inhibitions about speaking in front of a large audience. There were twelve of us in the class, an intense seminar taught over the course of three days. In addition to covering the message of a presentation, the instructor spent time on the physical approach to speaking -- making eye contact with your audience and other aspects of voice and gesture that each of us uses to engage people with our physical presence.

Over the three days, each participant made six different presentations to the group, some assigned by the instructor and some of our own choosing. All of the presentations were videotaped. Have you ever seen yourself on tape? It’s a really powerful thing. Looking in the mirror is not the same. When we look in the mirror, we see what we want to see. This hair out of place, this smile suited for the world we’re about to encounter. We pose before the mirror in still images.

Film or video is a lot different. We don’t pose. We can’t see ourselves. We are not still. We don’t have control of every moment, every piece of body language we express. And what the video camera records of this, our dance with the moment, is revealing.

Each of us screened the videos of our own presentations privately or with the instructor. Except for the last -- the sixth and final one was shown in front of the whole group.

There was one man in the class, around 45 years old, a finance executive for a major corporation. He was nice-looking, very buttoned-down, in an introverted sort of way. You could tell he was smart and articulate, but his first presentation was almost painful to watch. His body language was stiff. His arms and hands didn’t move. Even his face was stone-like, his mouth barely allowing words to escape through his pursed lips. It was hard to focus on what he was saying because the words came out so stilted.

Now, I don’t mean to dwell on this man’s performance in order to cast stones. Indeed, my own house is made of glass. But, I learned a powerful lesson through witnessing his experience in the class. It was impressive to see the willingness with which he took criticism and feedback from the instructor and from other members of the group, integrating the bits of feedback into gradually improving each successive presentation. It was like watching ice melt. His manner became more relaxed, his body was more fluid, his face more expressive. His voice even sounded more distinctive.

As we all watched the video of his final presentation, it was obvious that this man had worked hard to break through the rigid box that was his comfort zone. His presence was bold, his body was animated -- arms moving, hands gesturing, torso turning, feet stepping, face alive, eyes expressive, voice modulated.

It was inspiring to see an example of how someone can change their deeply ingrained behavior by bringing awareness and intention to it. But, what was truly remarkable was the man’s reaction as he viewed the tape of his own performance. He squirmed in his seat as he watched, clearly uncomfortable. While the tape ran, he told the group how uneasy he had been while making the presentation because he felt he was “way out there,” speaking too loudly, gesticulating too wildly, walking around too much. “Over-the-top-crazy,” was the way he described how it felt to him.

What was really amazing, however, was that on the tape he appeared to be a normal person delivering a speech. What felt to him as wild and crazy and out of control while he was doing it appeared, in the replay, to be rather normal.

It’s a good lesson to remember the next time you want to stretch beyond your comfort zone, in your business or personal life:

1. Recognize that no matter if it is bold or conservative, you have your own personal comfort zone

2. Stretching means just that: doing something out of character, beyond the parameters of what you ordinarily do

3. Be prepared to feel really uncomfortable, in stretching to the new you. That way, you won’t let such feelings stop you.

4. Remember, one person’s normal is another person’s stretch, so when you think you’re really going “over the top” or “crazy” with something — check with someone else. Chances are that if you’re feeling uncomfortable, it’s just about right.

The really powerful thing about this principle is that, unlike rubber bands that snap back to their original size and shape when stretched, when you stretch beyond you personal comfort zone it tends to stick. And, the more you live from that new, expanded place within you, the more comfortable it will feel. Like a new normal.

So, this month, do something unusual, out of character. On purpose, go over the top. Be more aggressive in your sales pitch. Or, less aggressive. Or, well, something you’ve always wanted to do but were too timid about trying. It will be interesting to see if anyone even notices. You may even move to a new normal in yourself.

Neil Tepper, aka, “The Creativity Doctor,” is a former creative director for The Coca-Cola Company, Universal Television and The 1996 Olympics. He is also an award-winning songwriter and photographer. He coaches individuals and consults for companies across the country, teaching them to harness their creative power to improve all aspects of their business and personal lives. Neil is the host of “The Creativity Salon”, his weekly Internet radio show streaming on www.radiosandysprings.com and the author of “Open Your I’s™: 10 Steps to Unleashing Your Inner Creative Power©” (not yet released). Visit his Web site at www.neiltepper.com or www.thelogicalcreative.com.