Your comfort zone can be just that, a place of comfort. People tend to gravitate towards things and situations that provide comfort and familiarity. The only problem with this is that it doesn’t allow any room for personal growth to reach your full potential. While it’s okay to stay in your comfort zone for a while, this is not a place you want to stay in. We often lack the motivation to leave but the more you get stuck, the more opportunities you’ll miss out on to immerse yourself in a new experience.
What is a comfort zone?
Your comfort zone is a mental state where a person feels calm and at ease because they are not being tested. People stay here because it allows them to avoid feelings of anxiety, stress, and pain, which we are naturally wired to do. As safe as this bubble may seem, it prevents people from doing what they want because they lack the courage to do it.
To get out of your comfort zone means to put yourself in a position that does not make you feel secure, comfortable, or in control. Growth and comfort cannot reside together and we often forget about the risk of not taking risks. You risk missing out on the life you have the potential to live. Lasting behavioral change first begins with a strong willingness to change.
On the contrary, trying to leap too far outside of your comfort zone can have the opposite effect you want it to. Doing things that increase your anxiety too much can leave you running back into your comfort zone. The best way to get out of your comfort zone is to gradually expand it. Finding your optimal level of good stress can lead you to your true potential to reach your goals and live a more fulfilling life.
How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
Develop a Positive Attitude
To change something that is so comfortable in your life requires the right mindset. A positive attitude means approaching every situation and challenges that life presents with optimism. Start by giving yourself compassion for when you fail and look at it as a lesson. Each challenge we face is an opportunity to learn something we may not have learned otherwise. Challenge yourself to be optimistic when you begin to have negative beliefs and train your mind to always look for the positive.
Change Up Your Routine
A routine helps us to develop healthy habits and gives people a feeling of stability. After staying on one routine for an extended period of time, you can begin to feel like you’re operating on autopilot and put yourself into a rut. Shake things up and add some spontaneity into your routine! If you work from home and your comfort zone is your home office, try working from a coffee shop one day a week. If you walk your dog the same route every day, try changing up where you walk.
Face Your Fears
Stepping out of your comfort zone requires another level of braveness. Bravery is not about eliminating a fear but moving forward in spite of it. To begin facing your fears, you need to first recognize a fear you have that is holding you back from different opportunities. Maybe you’re afraid of public speaking and are missing out on that big promotion because of that. Practice speaking up more in meetings and rehearse your presentation before. Or if you’re afraid of heights and are missing out on making memories with your kids, try going zip lining and face your fear head-on!
Travel
Traveling is one of the best ways to get out of your comfort zone as it changes up your entire daily routine and is eye-opening. Exploring new environments and meeting new people gives you an opportunity to see things from a new perspective and challenges your way of thinking. This helps you to gain a new or deeper appreciation for nature and the little things in life. If you find yourself traveling to the same beach or the same city every year, try exploring somewhere you’ve never been before!
Surround Yourself with Like-Minded People
Identify the people in your life actively taking the steps necessary towards growth and regularly taking risks. Surround yourself with people who are constantly learning, embracing challenges, and always moving forward in spite of failure. Ask them for advice and practice the qualities that you admire in these people. Having a good support system provides comfort in the unfamiliar and makes it much easier to get out of your comfort zone than doing it on your own.
Take Action
The last thing left to do to get out of your comfort zone is to just do it! Take action and start implementing these actions into your life. Set goals for what you want to achieve and what fears you want to face. Maybe you have a bucket list and you want to start crossing some things off of it, this is the perfect way to take that first step. Do something you’ve always wanted to do but didn’t have the tools to do it. This helps to stay motivated to take the steps necessary to get you there. Once you’re able to take the first step out of your comfort zone, you’ll have fewer regrets about what you missed out on, you’ll gain another level of self-confidence, and feel resilient to take on whatever challenge comes next. Teach yourself what you’re capable of accomplishing.
Check Out Empower Adventures Tampa Bay
Empower Adventures provides unique and empowering adventure experiences for all guests at our zip line courses. Our signature Zip Line Adventure features 5 zip lines, 4 aerial obstacles, and a 200ft long suspension bridge over the Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve.
While zip lining is tons of fun, Empower Adventures isn’t actually a zip line business. All of our different adventures are specifically designed with leadership principles in mind to help people grow. That means giving every guest an experience that will help them feel stronger and more confident about who they are, improve their ability to face their fears, overcome challenges in their lives, and feel energized to make bold decisions toward living their best life. So take those 2 seconds of courage and go as far as you can, plus one step. You never know what will come of it.
