Get Outside Your Comfort Zone
As humans, we strive for and have even created products and entire industries to help find and maintain high levels of comfort. This desire for comfort can be found in all areas of life – physically, mentally and emotionally.
The problem is, if you give in to this desire for comfort and constantly stay within your ‘comfort zone’, you will never grow as a person and you will certainly never achieve your personal dreams and desires. Here’s why:
Achieving your dreams and desires requires growth – and the only way growth can occur is if you experience a degree of discomfort. Whether you want physical growth, mental growth or emotional growth – you simply cannot grow until you push the envelope. If you want more of anything in your life – from a healthy body weight to healthy relationships to a healthy bank account, you must grow in knowledge, skills, habits and more. And all true growth occurs outside the comfort zone. Why is discomfort is so essential to achieve growth? Let’s explore:
Discomfort builds competence, which in turn builds confidence. Competence comes from practicing and trying new things in order to improve. You simply cannot get better at something by doing it exactly like you did it before. If you put yourself through a little bit of discomfort and do something a little bit differently, you’ll eventually become more successful at it. In turn, this success will eventually lead to higher levels of confidence.
Discomfort promotes creativity. Creativity is borne of necessity. People create new ideas, things, concepts and products when they have a problem, or in some way are outside their comfort zone.
Discomfort overcomes resistance to change. When we are comfortable, we are highly unlikely to want to change. When we have a lack of satisfaction or are uncomfortable with the way things are, we are far more open to the idea of change. This change will of course create a new situation that is better and ultimately creates a higher level of comfort.
Discomfort facilitates goal achievement. This is basically a culmination of everything I’ve already mentioned. If you want more learning, growth, income, career opportunities, etc, you must consciously get outside of your comfort zone. The question you need to ask yourself is:
Do you want your goals enough to put up with a degree of discomfort, or even fear?
If so, fabulous – you know what to do! If not, the main thing you need to work on is getting yourself ready and willing to put yourself through that degree of discomfort. Remind yourself that there will never be a perfect time to make that change and if you are able to take that first step, the pay-off for doing so will be more than worth the discomfort you have to endure.
I’m sure you’ve seen and read many personal development books, articles and programs in the past and wondered why after digesting the information, nothing has changed for you. I’ll tell you why: it’s because you didn’t follow through until you achieved the results you desired. You simply filled your head with information and hoped that new information would change your life.
It doesn’t need to be that way any longer. Take this opportunity to show yourself that you are in control. Decide now that you can and will have the life that you desire and deserve. Make a plan, get some help to allow you to eliminate any mental blocks or limiting beliefs and take action. You only get one shot at life so you might as well give it all you’ve got!