Learning How to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone

Most of us don’t like to step out of our comfort zone. We like to do only those things that are comfortable for us. We don’t like to delve into the unknown.

So, we may keep the same job, even if it isn’t satisfying. Perhaps we go to the same place each year for vacation, even though there are other places in the world to see. And we might eat at the same type of restaurant every Friday night, rather than explore other cuisines. We worry that any new experience might be a disaster!

I, for one, love to live smack dab in my comfort zone. But I know that isn’t good for me. So, I force myself to learn and do new things, whether it be studying a new language or learning how to repair a toilet. And I also do my fair share of traveling to new and unusual places. Even though my instinct tells me to stick with what I know, intellectually I understand that new experiences are the spice of life!

My daughter, on the other hand, is the opposite of me. I’ve never known anyone who so easily steps out of their comfort zone as she does. She is not daunted by challenges. If she wants to learn a new skill, whether it be in cooking or technology, she figures it out. She continually picks new hiking spots to take the dog. Soon, she will be leaving for college, and she has zero trepidation. She views it as a grand adventure!

Whether you love stepping out of your comfort zone, or whether you do it grudgingly (as I do!), it is important to continually stretch ourselves. Our lives are infinitely richer when we learn new skills and have a variety of life experiences.

Below are some ways to get out of your comfort zone. Try them and see how much fuller and more interesting your life can be!

Expand Upon Your Current Interests

Going outside of your comfort zone is not about doing things you hate. For instance, I hate camping. Spending a weekend camping would not be an instance of my going outside my comfort zone. It would be an instance of my blowing a weekend doing something that I don’t enjoy.

Instead, going outside your comfort zone should involve expanding your current interests in ways that you wouldn’t normally. For instance, I am a flute player. I’ve studied the flute on and off for years. The problem is that while I enjoy playing my flute, I really only like doing so in the privacy of my own home.

However, on occasion, I am asked to play my flute in church, and that takes me outside my comfort zone! I am not a natural performer. But the benefit of my playing in public is that when I perform, it always takes my skills to a new level. I will practice a piece about 100 times before I perform it. I will work diligently on both my tone and musicality. As a result, when I go out of my comfort zone and perform publicly, my flute playing improves dramatically. It also allows me to serve others, which is feels good!

So, don’t try to go out of your comfort zone by doing something you hate. That is a waste of time. Instead, take something that you love doing to the next level. Not only will your skills improve, but you’ll end up developing an expertise in something that truly interests you.

Don’t Worry About the Opinions of Others

Often, we don’t leave our comfort zones because we are worried about criticism from others. For instance, I could write articles and leave them on my computer. And that would be comfortable! No one would ever read what I write, and I would never be exposed to criticism. But I force myself to leave my comfort zone by having a website and publishing articles.

Admittedly, when I publish articles, they aren’t always well-received. Some people don’t agree with my ideas. However, in order to step out of my comfort zone and write for publication, I can’t live in fear of criticism. Frankly, I would never write a single word if every time I put pen to paper, I had to consider whether someone might disagree with me. If I spent my time analyzing the multitude of ways that folks might disagree with what I write, I would never publish anything.

So, if you want to step out of your comfort zone, you can’t let the criticism of others inhibit you. People, of course, have every right to criticize. But your job is to ignore those folks, get out of your comfort zone and accomplish something!

When Stepping Outside Your Comfort Zone, Take Baby Steps

The key to stepping outside your comfort zone isn’t to do something completely overwhelming and see if you swim or drown. Rather, the key is to approach it in baby steps.

Let’s say that you want to get out of your comfort zone by learning to speak in front of large groups of people. Public speaking certainly is something that makes many people feel uncomfortable. If you want to become more comfortable with public speaking, you don’t want your first experience to be speaking in front of a crowd of 100. Rather, you want to take baby steps.

You might start out by contributing more at your office meetings. That is a way to speak in front of a group in which you are able to control how long you speak. Then you might build up to making presentations at work. Or you might volunteer to teach a class at your place of worship. As you add more people to your public speaking ventures, and as you gain more experience, you will become more comfortable speaking in front of others. (To read more about boosting your confidence, click here.)

You can apply this “baby step” approach to any skill or activity that you want to do that is uncomfortable for you. When you take baby steps, you get some small successes under your belt. With each small success, you will gain greater confidence. And pretty soon, you will be doing the very thing you feared with ease.

Each of us has the potential to do great and interesting things with our lives. Don’t let your fears stop you from achieving your full potential. Instead, step out of your comfort zone, and accomplish all the things that you were meant to achieve.