Are you ready to step out of your comfort zone? Your comfort zone may feel like the safest place; however, it is the most dangerous place you can find yourself in.
A comfort zone entails low-effort situations, easily accomplished without stress, resulting in zero growth.
Comfort zones are unique to every person. An introvert might avoid social interactions to a point where it becomes detrimental to their mental health (this is not at all me). Another example is finding comfort in procrastination on the couch, knowing you’re capable of much more.
However, it has the same outcome: No growth.
Here are my 15 steps to step out of your comfort zone today!
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Benefits of stepping out of your comfort zone
You might wonder, “Why should I leave my comfort zone?” Well, I have three answers to that question.
- Growth is on the other side of your comfort zone. Personal growth has many benefits, such as building resilience, bettering relationships, increasing overall happiness, and more.
- You will have more life experiences. What is life if you don’t collect memories and experiences? Staying in your comfort zone will result in missing out on opportunities that WILL enrich your time on Earth.
- You will get a confidence boost. Who doesn’t want to be confident? Leaving your comfort zone is a great way to develop confidence.
The outcome highly outweighs the cons.
How to step out of your comfort zone
I divided these fifteen steps into 3 main phases for your convenience: the reflection, preparation, and the action phase.
The reflection phase
1. Reflect on your comfort zone.
Firstly, you need to know what your limitations are. Identify the comfort zone you want to conquer.
It could be anything from withholding yourself from social interactions or being too scared to pursue your dreams.
2. Envision your ideal life.
Write down what your ‘perfect’ life looks like. Don’t hold back.
Be as outrageous as you can be. There is no limit. Write everything down to the finest detail. Not only will this exercise help you identify the areas in your life that need to change, but it will also serve as a motivation.
You can also create a vision board if you’re a visual person. Learn how to make a free digital vision board here (and get a free template).
The preparation phase
1. Fear will be prominent.
Fear will be in the foreground. All of us fear the unknown, and fear is adjacent to our comfort zones.
There are four zones you will work through in the process of leaving your comfort zone:
- Comfort zone – The zone where we feel in control and safe but doesn’t bring anything towards our life.
- Fear zone – This is the zone that prevents a lot of us from moving forward. It is the zone where we lack self-discipline, make excuses, and care about other’s opinions.
- Learning zone – After the fear zone, we start learning new skills. We work through the struggles we face.
- Growth zone – Now for the grand finale. It is where we build confidence, create goals, and set aspirations.
2. Embrace the failure.
Failure is a necessary part of life. Be prepared for it along your journey. Failure is within your comfort zone, and success is on the other side.
It is not about how many times you fall but how many times you get up. Embrace the failure, because no one’s life is linear.
3. Discomfort is the goal.
Yes, that might sound strange. However, if you feel discomfort, you are on the right track.
You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable if you want to be successful. It is one of the most impactful sentences I’ve heard from Steve Harvey.
Discomfort should become a habit.
The action phase
1. Learn self-discipline
Self-discipline is needed to push through the fear zone; otherwise, we’ll fall back to our old ways.
It is a difficult skill to learn; however, it is not impossible. Look at these 6 easy ways to master self-discipline here.
2. Create habits
Habits are a great way to teach yourself discipline and accountability.
Replace some old habits with new ones, like walking instead of driving, going to the shops instead of buying everything online, listening to a podcast instead of doom-scrolling, etc.
Small changes in daily habits will make a big difference.
3. Set goals
Start by setting small, achievable goals to reach an overall ambitious goal. Goals are crucial to progress.
However, you need to set goals in a specific way for it to be helpful. I have posts that go into depth and will link them for you. In short, your goals need to be SMART.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relative
- Time-bound
4. Consume motivational content
I am a sucker for motivational videos! It has so much power and gets me out of a rut without failure.
However, motivation is temporary, and you shouldn’t rely on it. That said, it is nice to get a motivational boost on occasion.
I recommend this YouTube channel and this podcast.
5. Say yes
As hard as it is, say yes to new experiences. I would rather curl up in bed with a good movie, but that won’t add to my memories.
Life is too short to live past everyone. Say yes to new things. It will help you step out of your comfort zone, which will help you grow richer in experiences no one can take from you.
Say yes to the after-work drinks with your colleagues or the extra task at work that will contribute to a promotion.
6. Do challenges
I came across a lot of ‘leaving your comfort zone challenges’ as I did some SEO research on this topic.
A 30-day challenge is a fun way to add spice to your journey. You can look on Pinterest. There are a lot of challenges you can download. *Mentally writing down this idea for the future.*
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7. Take risks
Taking risks is right up my alley as an adventure-seeker.
Try new things. It can get your adrenaline pumping or it can be less extreme, such as:
- Joining a hobby group. Here are 40+ hobby ideas for inspiration.
- Going on a solo trip
- Or getting an adrenaline rush
Taking risks makes you feel alive. However, be responsible at all times.
8. Use accountability
To hold yourself accountable means to fulfill your duties without any excuses. Accountability is an amazing tool in your arsenal because motivation is temporary.
There are different ways to practice accountability. One of them is getting an accountability partner; someone who keeps you on track with your goals.
9. Celebrate the wins
Reward yourself for the little wins. This way you always have something to look forward to when pushing through the fear zone.
For instance, you can reward yourself with an episode of your favorite series if you go for a run instead of doom-scrolling.
10. Mindset shift
The mind is a powerful thing. The way we live reflects the thoughts in our heads. For example, negative self-talk will result in a gloomy present and a decline in overall happiness.
Here are a few mindset shifts you can make:
- What’s more important? You have to decide for yourself if life is worth spending on the couch or sleeping in while your competitors are awake.
- Who cares? One of the biggest obstacles we face when stepping out of our comfort zones is the fear of being judged. Let me let you in on a little secret, nobody important cares. The only people judging you are the people who are jealous of you.
- Regret hurts. Choose your poison. Do you want to work hard or do you want to regret the life you led? That is my biggest fear and hence my biggest motivator.
Conclusion
I want to encourage you to follow these steps to enrich your life. Realize life is short and don’t let it pass you by. The outcome of stepping out of your comfort zone greatly outweighs comfort’s pros.
Step out of your comfort zone today, collect experiences, grow, and become more confident.
Let me know which step helped you the most in the comments!
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Have an amazing day or night wherever you are in the world.
Love, Steph <3
