Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

Are you living in your comfort zone? We all have thoughts and ideas about where we want to go in life, but most of us won’t take the risks.

One of my favorite quotes is from Neale Donald Walsch. He said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Your life can take an amazing turn once you decide that living in your comfort zone is not how you want to live your life. Once you start challenging yourself, you will start to see your life in a much bigger way. You will discover remarkable things about yourself.

Getting out of your comfort zone helps you to realize your dreams much more quickly. Your life will be more fulfilling and exciting. Your life will be more abundant, providing more security.

Amazingly, only 10 percent of the population continuously challenges themselves to live outside of their comfort zones. Unfortunately, the other 90 percent is afraid to get uncomfortable. Many of us want more out of life, but we live in fear. We worry about failing, how we will be perceived, or tell ourselves we can’t do it.

Once you decide to start challenging yourself, you will realize some surprising benefits.

• Stepping out of your comfort zone will boost your self-confidence. You will realize that you are much more capable and can accomplish a lot more than you thought you could.

• You will overcome many of your fears because you will realize that most of them aren’t real.

• Challenging yourself will become easier and you will actually enjoy being outside of your comfort zone.

• You will start living a life full of excitement and with fewer regrets. You will become super energized and have new opportunities you never thought possible.

• You will become a stronger person and discover new strengths you never thought you had. You will also recognize your weaknesses and know where you might need help moving forward.

• You will grow unbelievably fast in many ways. You will let go of negative energy and inspire people around you to challenge themselves too.

• You will discover that you enjoy being uncomfortable and quickly gain success in certain areas of your life.

• You will start being more spontaneous and stop waiting for approval.

Start challenging yourself to do one thing every day that scares you. You don’t have to be reckless–start small. If you are not comfortable with computers, enroll in a class and conquer that fear. Once you start challenging yourself in a small way, you can work your way up to bigger discomforts.

Here are some strategies to get you moving toward your “un-comfortable” zone:

• Don’t do it alone. If you are taking a big step to do something out of your comfort zone, take someone with you. Enlist the help of a friend so it isn’t so scary.
• Don’t be afraid of looking silly. We have all been there and will look silly again. It is just part of life.
• Make a list of your fears and tackle them one at a time. Celebrate as you succeed.
• Find other people who live outside of their comfort zones and hang out with them. Are there people you admire who are continuously challenging themselves? Spend time with them.
• Try something new. Maybe you have always wanted to do something and just haven’t made it a priority. Try going zip-lining or bungee jumping. Get in a helicopter and take a tour over the ocean. Just doing something different and unpredictable on a regular basis can stretch you.
• Don’t listen to your inside voice. You know the one—that voice that is inside your head holding you back. Just tell yourself you don’t have time right now to listen.

Being uncomfortable will eventually become your new “comfortable” way of living. Once you dare to confront fears that have been holding you back, the sky is the limit. Your life will never be the same boring routine again. You will welcome new challenges and reach even your loftiest goals.

In the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “Do one thing everyday that scares you.”