WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO STEP OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

The comfort zone, as defined by Lifehacker, is a “behavioral space where your activities and behaviors fit a routine and pattern that minimizes stress and risk” - we have a sense of security, familiarity, and certainty in our comfort zone. A lot of people settle for a mediocre life because they are afraid of the unknown, so much so, that they almost become paralyzed at just the thought of trying something new.

So comfort zones are not really about comfort, they are about fear, aren't they? Some of the fears that hold so many people back from reaching their potential may include, fear of failure, fear of success, fear of rejection, fear of loss, and many more.

Leaving your comfort zone helps you grow.

The only time we can become more is when we step out of our comfort zone into the unknown. In my book, Prison To Promised Land, I talk about how you can't attain new heights of success without stepping out of your comfort zone and facing some kind of difficulty. That's what success is, overcoming a challenge with the accomplishment of an aim or purpose.

Now let's think about that. Failure is not a bad thing. Failure is part of the learning process to reach your target goal. Let me ask you this: When you were born, were you able to walk like a normal adult as soon as you came out of the womb? No. It took you months, maybe even years, of numerous failed attempts to walk, didn't it? Yes. Yet that didn't stop you then and look now, you are able walk on two feet without even thinking about it. Have you ever seen a baby fail attempting to walk then say, "Oh the heck with this man, I'm just going to crawl and stay in my comfort zone for the rest of my life.", and then never attempt walking again? Very unlikely.

We are natural risk-takers as children. But as we get older we learn to fear failure and start holding ourselves back and attempting fewer new things.

When I first started my sales career, I would not approach strangers because that was completely out of my comfort zone and I was afraid of rejection. Who knows how many sales I missed out on because I was afraid to step out of my comfort zone. Finally, I thought to myself, "Just go talk to them and ask for the sale. What's the worst that could happen? If they say no, that's the same result I'd get if I didn't ask, and if they say yes, that's a sale I would have never made had I not asked.

Taking on new challenges can help you age better

That's right. Your overall health improves when you push yourself to become more. Have you noticed how much more alive you feel after you do something that you're normally afraid of doing? When you take on something challenging, you experience an endorphin rush and often feel recharged.

A 2013 study revealed that learning new and demanding life skills in a social setting, can help us stay mentally sharp as we get older.

As we get older our comfort zone generally shrinks with age. however, if you are always expanding your comfort zone, you will be more keen to try new things and will have developed more courage over time.

You'll be more productive

Pushing your personal boundaries can help you hit your stride sooner, get more done, and find smarter ways to work. Without the sense of unease that comes from having deadlines and expectations, we tend to do the minimum required to get by. comfort kills productivity. 

You'll find new ways to handle certain task or accomplish goals by stepping out of your comfort zone. Always look to learn while doing something that makes you uncomfortable.

Trying new things is is difficult. If it weren't, breaking out of your comfort zone would be easy and we'd do it all the time. It's just as important to understand how habits form and how we can break them as it is to press yourself out of your comfort zone by doing specific things. And you can't live outside of your comfort zone all the time. you need to come back from time to time to process your experiences.