How Stepping Out Of Comfort Zone Can Be A Game Changer For You

It can be enticing to get too comfortable in your shell, but is it really worth it?

A few years ago, I solely relied on freelance writing to be financially independent and earn a good chunk of income from it. Initially, it was awesome to be accountable to me and have the flexibility to set my working hours.

But somewhere I knew that this was not going to take me anywhere in terms of growth and personal development. Despite having a steady income working on my freelance projects, I found myself brutally stuck in my comfort zone.

From having my first cup of coffee to allocating my time to freelance, everything followed a specific pattern. While it taught me self-discipline and helped me improve my time management skills, but at a certain stage, I realized that doing the same thing every day in the same order was killing my ability to learn and grow.

I had never imagined myself being at the same place doing the same thing for years. Freelancing gives you the authority to work on your projects irrespective of the location and time constraints. Considering it as a sheer advantage and knowing I could freelance from anywhere, I decided to push my limits and moved to a whole new country having a variety of cultures.

This not only gave me the opportunity to step out of my own shell but also helped me explore my hidden traits. Had I not moved to Canada, I wouldn’t have discovered my passion for cooking. TBH, I would have never known that I could manage it all (studying, freelancing, household chores, then part-time and now full-time jobs) by myself if I hadn’t taken this big move.

Getting out of your comfort zone is not always about taking these big plunges though. Sometimes, it can be as small as trying out a new cafe or striking a conversation with a colleague you have never talked to before. Doing anything that seems challenging to you will make your mind more adaptable to change, and ultimately, keep it healthy.

“The best piece of advice someone has ever given me was ‘do it scared.’ And no matter if you’re scared, just go ahead and do it anyway because you might as well do it scared, so it will get done and you will feel so much better if you step out of your comfort zone.” — Sherri Shepherd

So, let’s get started.

You start living your life

Can you cherish some of the best memories while being in your comfort zone? Will you have some exciting stories to share with your kids if all you did was be in your zone? The answer is ‘NO’.

Undoubtedly, staying in your comfort zone gives you secured vibes. You feel relaxed and calm. But, not assigning a challenge to your brain would make it unproductive and won’t brace it for unwanted challenges ahead. Here, a ‘challenge’ implies trying out a new thing or activity.

So, if you are afraid of trying something new, then you’ve got to give it a shot without thinking about its outcomes. This is how you will start experiencing life and ultimately, enjoy every bit of it.

“The comfort zone is a psychological state in which one feels familiar, safe, at ease, and secure. You never change your life until you step out of your comfort zone; change begins at the end of your comfort zone.”― Roy T. Bennett

Life is all about having a balance between your comfort zone and exploring the outer world.

It’s completely worthless to drain your energy levels in thinking about something that is not going to happen. So, stop feeding negative thoughts to your brain, embrace positivity, and be open to new experiences.

You build self-confidence

“Inaction 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.” — Dale Carnegie

We can be presentable and interactive among our friends and families. When we are around them, we can express ourselves with confidence. But does it work the same way when we expose ourselves to unfamiliar situations or faces? Are we that confident in those circumstances?

The more you expose yourself to challenging situations, the more confident you become. For example, if you are not comfortable in public speaking or find it overwhelming to talk in large groups, then why not join a Toastmasters club nearby? If that sounds a bit over-ambitious, then why not start with ‘hey, how’s it going?’ with a random person while commuting to work?

You need to identify challenges and make an action plan to overcome them in the future. Since you don’t have to lose your sanity while working on these challenges, keep learning, and take baby steps to come out of your zone and ultimately, gain confidence.

You feel proud of yourself

Leaving my country and my people behind for the sake of getting exposure and seeking new opportunities was not easy for me. The girl who hadn’t stepped outside of her hometown by herself decided to be all by herself. Sounds tough, right?

Since I believed in myself and had that knack of learning new skills to feed that curious inner child within me, I was able to handle challenges along the way with courage. And after over 2 years of living in this country, I feel so proud of myself to have handled it all on my own.

Being in your comfort zone involves fewer risks and more certainty. But when you decide to ditch this cozy place and start seeking new experiences, you will understand what fun elements you were missing out earlier! Creating and achieving every milestone, and setting another one for yourself will give you a reason to be proud of yourself.

You become flexible

“You have to be uncomfortable in order to be successful, in some ways. If you stay in your comfort zone! You would never do the things that you need to do.”― Lights Poxlietner

We love to be in our comfort zone because this is where everything happens as per our plan. No excitement of new plans, and no anxious ‘what ifs’! Moreover, our minds tend to remain super-cool and quiet when we are following the same pattern of things every single day.

But is it healthy for our brains to always stay in comfort zones? If you won’t take up new challenges, then how would you know how adaptable and flexible you are toward changing environments?

Let’s take it this way: if you want a promotion at work while sticking to the same set of duties every day, then how will you manage to achieve the milestone of being promoted? For being at a better place or seeing yourself progressing, you have to do nothing but get out of your comfort zone and be open to learning new things or changing your existing habits/workstyle/routines.

Moreover, it’s important to train your mind to get used to new situations. This not only makes it more dynamic but also creates less panic or anxiety in unfamiliar or unexpected events.

Sometimes, getting ‘too comfortable’ in our little shell blurs our growth prospects. Today, we might feel tempted to be in it for as much time as possible, but later, you will regret this decision of not making yourself a bit uncomfortable and experiencing life.

As humans, we all want to grow and be an improved version of ourselves. And the very first step towards achieving it involves bidding goodbye to your comfort zone.

“I will guarantee you that the day you step outside your comfort zone by making success your goal is the day you discover that adversity, risk, and daring will make life sweeter than you ever imagined.” — Mark Burnett

In the initial stage, it might sound a bit terrifying to get started with something you had never tried. But you need to stay positive and calm while embracing new challenges.

Instead of forcing yourself in those situations, see it from a positive perspective. Imagine how happy or accomplished you will feel after at least making an attempt to do something out of your league.

You will add something new to your knowledge. Life is all about learning from your experiences, and this will be possible only if you take the first step.

We all have the potential to make changes to our routine or lifestyle so as to feel more satiated and accomplished. All it takes is a little courage to get a little uncomfortable and explore new flavors of life. After all, we only live once, and we don’t want to waste it being in our comfort zone.