HOW many quotes have you heard about the 'comfort zone'?
Literally thousands right!?
...But do most people actually go out of their comfort zones?? Probably not.
Why?? Because a lot of people say....well it's easier said than done!!... no sh*t Sherlock, everything is easier to SAY than to DO!!
Why would we purposely put ourselves at risk of failure and possible humiliation....when we can survive nicely in our warm and cosy comfort zone??
We humans are programmed to behave in the safe zone. So let's look at it another way, instead of fighting what comes natural to us, why not try flipping this on it's head...
Will it be easy? NO
Will you win every time? NO
Will you learn from it? ALWAYS 100%
Let's look in a bit more detail on why we struggle with our 'comfort zone'
1. Development comes from outside your comfort zone, especially from failure
We tend to forget that struggle and discomfort are where all our growth happens.
Remember when you were kids and everything you tried was something new?? When you tried to walk and couldn't do it - did you give up? no of course you didn't.
Maybe your parents forced you to try new and scary things you didn't want to do and whether you succeeded or failed you will still have learnt something.
Somewhere along the line your parents stopped forcing you to do the scary stuff and so forcing you to take this responsibility and how many of you then starting daring less and hibernated into your 'comfort zone'?
Subconsciously we associate 'learning' that only happens when you are a child, which of course is ridiculous as there are always opportunities to grow whatever your age or situation you are in.
We do become more aware of failing though when we embark on trying new things, but failure is not the end.....it's the beginning of something new.
2. Discovering new passions you never knew existed
We go through our daily lives, dreaming of new hobbies or careers and other such change that you'd love to do....hoping someone will come knocking on the door saying 'I've got the perfect thing for you'
Let's face it....that ain't never going to happen!!
When I decided to quit my job to start my own business, this was one of the most scariest things I have done in my life. Being a single mother to 3 children was truly terrifying.
But....not only have I achieved my dream of being my own boss and helping my clients with Right Hand Support to enable them to grow, I have also found a joy for writing blogs, which I never thought I would do....I discovered a new passion I didn't know existed.
Waiting around for something to happen will leave you in the same position you were last month, last year, the last 2 years!! The second you jump out of that 'comfort zone' you'll be surprised at how things just start falling into place.
3. Surrounding yourself with like minded people and becoming more open-minded
Life is full of completely different people, but being stuck in the same routine tends to lead to gravitating towards similar people to ourselves, who share the same opinions about everything and then we convince ourselves that that's how we all SHOULD think.
Moving away from the comfort of those people you are accustomed to will introduce you to different ways of thinking which will lead to a better understanding of our differences and whole new appreciation for those differences.
However, to start with this will bring a whole new level of 'uncomfortable'. We gather our opinions from a web of other people's experiences and sometimes we can think of these opinions as black and white.
Opening your mind to other people's views and cultures and understanding what their opinions are based on is the first step to being open-minded rather than just listening to your own social group you've been accustomed to.
4. Ditch the mindless comfort-zone distractions
We tend to turn our brains off watching the same shows, going to the same places, look at the same apps and listen to the same people. These routines make us feel 'comfortable'.
Explore something new....switch off the TV sometimes, explore your thoughts, read a book that's totally something you've never read before and be surprised at how your brain starts actually working again and gets a new lease of life.
5. Becoming more confident and sociable
Do you feel anxious when talking to strangers? Do you think you'll be judged or say something wrong?
I used to feel like this all the time...'who's going to want to listen to me?? '
There's not many people in the world that hasn't felt like this at some stage.
What's the worst that could happen?, it's a question I ask myself daily and believe me it helps.
The very act of trying something new and scary that you haven't done before is enough to give you confidence on it's own and the more you do it, the better it gets - a cliche I know but it's true.
6. The more you fail and recover and improve, the better you will be as a person
''No human ever became interesting by not failing'' says Chris Hardwick and so true is this statement.
Your stories will become more interesting the more you keep putting yourself in that scary zone....I used to hate talking to new people, would do anything not to do it....but I forced myself and now I love it. There are so many interesting people out there to talk to and learn from.
EVERYONE has a limited time on this beautiful planet of ours......so don't spend time here being a watered down, filtered version of yourself!!
I'll finish on 3 important facts...
1. If you don't go after what you want, you'll never have it
2. If you don't ask, the answer will always be no
3. If you don't step forward, you'll always be in the same place
THE WORST THING THAT WE CAN DO IN LIFE IS NOTHING
https://www.michellegillsonva.com/