Escaping from your comfort zone is critical for improving your life and accomplishing your goals. Even though your daily routine feels safe and pleasant, that doesnβt mean itβs helpful.
In fact, the safer you feel, the less likely youβll do anything life-changing.
βThe only thing that is stopping you from where you are to where you want to go is your comfort zone.β
β Dhaval Gaudier
A comfort zone isnβt a placeβitβs the habit of avoiding new things or taking any risks. However, life rewards those who push their boundaries and take chances.
Tackling uncomfortable challenges is what separates extraordinary humans from the rest. They put themselves on there, despite possibly failing. Even if they fail, they donβt allow that to stop them. Instead, they keep trying until they get it right.
Why you should step out of your comfort zone
βBefore anything great is really achieved, your comfort zone must be disturbed.β
β Ray Lewis
Even though we are hard-wired to avoid stress, this is what keeps people stuck in life. You might think, βIβm supposed to avoid pain and discomfort. Why would I put myself in a risky situation?β
Furthermore, we live in an increasingly competitive world, which doesnβt bode well for the slackers. Only the strong thrive.
Successful people accept that sometimes theyβll feel the pain of falling short, but they know the reward is worth it. Eventually, they adapt to the struggle, and their comfort zone expands. Furthermore, their experiences turn them into more creative and mentally resilient people.
So, you can choose to either stay in your rut or venture out into the unknown and discover how amazing you can be. I suggest you choose the latter!
What are you avoiding?
βTo the degree weβre not living our dreams, our comfort zone has more control of us than we have over ourselves.β
β Peter McWilliams
Do you feel habitually stuck in life? What are you avoiding that would change your life for the better? You could be practicing a skill, learning something new, or reaching out to others.
When you do something out of the ordinary, youβll feel the discomfort, the awkwardness, and maybe a desire to escape to safety. These emotions can feel overwhelming, but your daily routine can be the demise of your potential.
Because nothing changes in your comfort zone, every day is precisely the same.
Moreover, non-stop comfort breeds misery and boredom. So, people avoid this pain by dissolving their brains into social media, TV shows, and video games. Essentially, they give up all their free time to ensure they never become someone amazing.
βInaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.β
β Dale Carnegie
Donβt worry; you donβt have to cannonball into discomfort. Instead, dip your toe in and experience it. Then go a little further every day until you become consumed by it, and you love it!
Yes, you might love what youβve avoided all this time!
There are lots of ways to break out of the comfort zone routine like:
- Try something new. When you find something youβll be passionate about, youβll know it.
- Put yourself in an unfamiliar situation.
- Take a class.
- Make new friends.
- Change your daily routine.
- Break a bad habit.
- Visit different towns and see how other people live.
So, whatever youβve been avoiding, thatβs what you need to do. Take baby steps towards it every day.
My experience out of my comfort zone
If you read the βAboutβ page, youβll know that my husband and I spent nine months in the high desert of the Rockies. We did that so we could find our dream home.
Furthermore, we stayed in a 15×6 foot RV with no running water. Also, we had a Great Dane, and a Doberman/Lab mix, all 4 of us slept on a small bed; this is the definition of discomfort!
Although this was the most uncomfortable situation Iβve been in, it was worth it. Most homes look great online, but not in real life.
But, every day, Iβm glad we did it because now we live in a peaceful, small town. Also, Iβm infinitely more grateful for all the small luxuries in life.
But Iβm not a super-human, so I know you can get out of your comfort zone! I take the extreme route, but you donβt have to.
Challenge yourself to leave your comfort zone
βDo one thing every day that scares you.β
β Eleanor Roosevelt
The things you avoid are what will expand your potential the most! Therefore, start with a simple challenge and allow yourself to do something out of the ordinary.
Start with a task that isnβt too intimidating. If you want to write a book, sit down, plan out a plot or describe your characters. Then every day, challenge yourself to go further.
When you push yourself, the excitement from doing something new can put your brain on βhigh alert,β fueling you with super-human chemicals.
Furthermore, youβll build your character, and thereβs nothing better than that! Youβre becoming more than you were yesterday, and thatβs awesome!
What will you do today to get out of your comfort zone?
βIf weβre growing, weβre always going to be out of our comfort zone.β
– John C. Maxwell
In short, breaking out of your comfort zone will change your life, but you have to make it happen. Although, itβs only by experiencing some discomfort that youβre able to grow. Itβs worth the struggle! I know it was for me.
In addition, youβll learn things you probably would have never known, and youβll grow as a person. So when you feel that uneasy feeling, smile because youβre growing as a person and building lifelong skills.
So, start planning your transformation from the tiniest first step to the finish line. Life is short, so itβs time to start doing things you wouldnβt usually do!
You can start right now by subscribing to Motivated Progress!
How will you get out of your comfort zone?
I enrolled in college at the age of 39. After being in the dental industry for almost 17 years, I wanted to go into the IT industry and learn programming and web development. Guess what? Iβll be graduating in May and already landed my first job as a web developer.
With that said, I believe your blog/post is spot on. We will never know or understand our true potential if we donβt step out of our comfort zone. No, it isnβt easy, but nothing in life worth having ever is!
This is great advice for everyone but especially someone feeling βstuckβ in life. And literally, all it requires is taking one step outside of their comfort zone. I promise, itβs worth it!
Hey Shanda! You triggered one of my passions, IT! That’s awesome you went into the IT industry! I used work in IT and I was always either the only female or there’d be one other. I hope more women try IT out. Even though it’s uncomfortable it is worth it! Girls should learn about the women who changed IT into what it is today. Like, Hedy Lamarr, she is the reason we have WIFI, GPS and Bluetooth! Plus, she was beautiful too.
I got heavy into Linux for many years and I dabbled in Java, Python, and C#. Thanks for your comment!
Thank you for sharing this post. I am in IT field, but now trying out into freelancing. I am an introvert person and I am really shy to reach out to other persons. Now, since I am shifting to other platform/field, I am trying my best to go out of my comfort zone. I’m feeling hopeful that it will be success for me as well! Cheers!
https://leahms987.wordpress.com/
You’re welcome! I was in the IT field for a while and I’m an introvert (INFJ). Yes, reach out! But, at least for now, do it from home. Better safe than sick!
Yes of course. totally agree! You too, keep safe! π
Thanks! I will!
Hey Sheryl, I really want to learn about programing but I am afraid if I cant, Can you give some advice for me? thanks
Programming is a fantastic thing to learn! If you haven’t chosen a language, I’d start out with Python. As long as you can be patient and you learn/practice often, you will learn it. Take online courses and watch Youtubes. After you get used to it, then you can easily learn any other programming language too. Here’s where you can learn it for free https://www.codecademy.com/catalog/language/python