Move Out of Your Comfort Zone and Open Up For New Possibilities

• Posted In : 2020-Jul-18

Move out of your comfort zone. You can only grow if you are willing to feel awkward and uncomfortable when you try something new.

-Brian Tracy

Sometimes we get stuck in a pattern and that becomes our comfort zone. Although it is very monotonous, still we cling to it with everything we have because leaving it would mean a change and changes are unpredictable and uncertain, and this uncertainty scares us.  So we just stay there curled up with our fake sense of security.  We want to stay there forever because we know the thoughts and feelings that reside there; we know the endgame. It is so familiar to us just like the hot cup us tea that mom made every morning; the warmth and the coziness is too good to leave.

Sometimes we just stay in our comfort zone not because we like it over there but because we are afraid that things would be worse out of it. We worry about the unknown.  

Signs you’re in a Comfort Zone

 There are certain signs-

1. You feel bored, restless, tired, dissatisfied and unhappy with life. 

2. You have a lack of enthusiasm for your life. Everything seems monotonous. 

3. You find yourself daydreaming about a different reality or imagining different adventurous scenarios. But you don’t know the steps to take.

4. You also might become defensive, go to any lengths to justify you not movie forward. 

Ways to move out of your Comfort Zone

1. Watch your routine

Don’t you get bore being stuck in a runt? Doing the same things each day; having the same routine every day without seeing any improvements. Isn’t it frustrating? 

Breaking such routines can be a good start. Try to do something no matter how small a bit differently; or completely opposite and see how that feels. Does it bring you joy but in a different way? If yes then congratulations this was your first step out of your comfort zone. 

2. Change your thought process 

Start getting rid of those pesky “what if” questions. Have a more positive outlook towards change and try to welcome it with open arms rather than shuddering away from it. Harness those negative thoughts and replace them with more positive thoughts. Have a more positive outlook on life. Replace those negative “what if” questions with positive ones and the world would be your oyster. 

3. Turn your fear into your strength 

The best way to get over your fear is to take action. Do something about it. Face it head on. Afraid of that big presentation on Monday? Just go through the reading material again. Afraid to call that big investor? Just pick up the phone and call him. The thing about fear is that it is rarely based on truth; don’t let a distorted version of truth get in your way to success. 

4.Avoid the terror zone

The terror zone lies just after your comfort zone. This is the zone that you need to avoid after escaping your comfort zone, because this terrorizes you and makes you think that you cannot leave your comfort zone. The successes lie in escaping both the comfort and terror zone and hitting that sweet spot that allows you to move further without paralyzing you with fear. 

5.Face new challenges

Try to do something new that excites you but also scares you.

Preparation is the key. Find out everything about it, ask people or Google it. Look for success stories and how other people did it. You obviously can’t know everything about it until you do it on your own. Just go ahead with it and you’ll learn along the way. 

6.Embrace Diversity and Differences 

Try to hang out with people whose opinion differs from yours. This will broaden your perspective. Having like-minded friends is good but having friends who challenge you intellectually is great for your brain as well as self-esteem. Friends with different beliefs, culture, and race help you to gain understanding and compassion. 

Diversify your interests, books and skills. It will broaden your mind and enable you to try new things thus help you step out of your comfort zone. 

7. Don’t be afraid of failure

Before you begin anything new it’s important to accept that you might fail. Rome was not built in a day and neither will you. Failure is part of the process; just imagine how good it will feel when you finally succeed. The worse that can happen is that it might take some time for you to get what you want unless you did something really dangerous.

8. There is no shame in asking for help

Things tend to look less grim and daunting if you’ve proper help and support. Connecting with people who have expertise in a particular field will help you get clarity and put things in perspective for you. It will help you to learn faster and succeed.

This will also provide you with feedback. Feedback is very important. It will help you learn and grow.

9. Learn from you past

The only past you need to care about is the one that helps you grow and turn into a better version of yourself.  Go back to those victorious moments and not those that bring you down.

Go back and recall those moments that led to your success. Use the same strategies, if they worked then they’ll work again.

Learn from other people’s mistakes and success. People who came before you must have done or gone through the same things. Go through whatever literature is available.

10.Believe in yourself

Believing you can is half the battle. If you believe in yourself that you can do it, then you are already halfway through. It opens you up for new possibilities. You will be confident and courageous. You won’t be scared and hesitant and it will inspire you to move out of your comfort zone. You will be ready to look into the eye of the storm without any fear. 

We fear the unknown, and this makes stepping out of the comfort zone terrifying. But you’ll regret missing out on those opportunities just because you were afraid of what might happen. Take a chance on yourself. Just close your eyes and tell yourself that it is okay if I don’t succeed on the first attempt, I have my whole life to figure things out. Try new things. Face new challenges. Life is short. Don’t waste it by being afraid!

 

By - Aakaansha Kavidayal   -  PGDM - Asia Pacific Institude Of Management 

Marketing Enthusiast with a penchant for brand building. Worked on multiple academic and industry projects with the intent of generating buzz & conversations around brands. My goal is to work on projects that go above and beyond to help our community and raises the living standard of our society.

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