10 Ways To Leave Your Comfort Zone

The most common reason why people don't step out of their comfort zone is fear. We all have fears: whether it's a fear of failure, of the unknown, or of judgement, we let those fears control how we live our lives.

What tends to happen is that we end up regretting choices we made, or failed to make, in the past based on our fears at the time. While it takes mental strength to overcome those fears, it isn't impossible to overcome them and live a life full of excitement.

We spend too much time in our little bubbles and before we know it, we're at the end of our lives wishing we did more. So why not start now? If you're finding it difficult to step out of your comfort zone, read our article How To Step Out Of Your Comfort Zone Comfortably, then consider some of the following ideas: 

Develop The Right Mindset

Before stepping out of your comfort zone and into the unknown, put yourself in a positive can-do mindset. Accomplish something small, do something you enjoy, or take a few moments to dance around to a song that will pump you up.

Taking steps to embrace a positive mindset helps life's challenges seem easier to overcome. You'll be more optimistic and open to learning, exploring, and challenging yourself.

Take Small Steps With New Things 

There's no need to rush out of your comfort zone and try to learn everything at once. It isn't a race. Find one thing you find interesting and focus on that, whether it's trying a new type of food, listening to a new podcast or genre of music, or even making something from scratch.

Take your time and don't worry if you don't understand it the first time around. When you do something for the first time you're just feeling it out. It isn't going to be perfect, and that's completely fine. You're just seeing if you like it.

When you challenge yourself on smaller levels, you have nothing to lose. There's no major loss or setback if you don't achieve your goals or if you decide it isn't for you. If you do enjoy it, then you can continue stepping further into that hobby or skill. 

Expand On Hobbies You Already Like 

An easy way to step out of your comfort zone is to expand on hobbies you already enjoy doing. If you really enjoy a particular activity, chances are you have already built up some related skills. Look at offshoots of that hobby and learn a bit about those areas.

For example, if you enjoy taking photographs of landscapes in your spare time, switch things up and take portraits of wildlife or people. Find the similarities and differences between the different types of photography, like lighting, focus, lenses, and so on. What you will discover is that you can apply your existing skills while learning new ones. You already know how your camera works, so it's just down to fine-tuning to get the perfect shot. 

If you are struggling to figure out what your hobbies are, consider reading our article 11 Ways To Discover Your Passions

Find A Mentor Or Take A Course

When you're stepping out of your comfort zone and stepping into something new, there's no doubt you'll have questions. Lots of questions. The best way to learn the answers is to find a mentor, coach, or expert in the topic or to search your questions online.

People like your boss, a teacher, or even a friend who has experience in the subject will be more than happy to help you. They get to share their experiences and showcase their skills and you get to learn from it.

If you can't find someone willing, a search engine may have the results as well. Websites like YouTube are full of tutorials that could answer your questions.

Don't Be Afraid To Ask Questions 

Questions are great learning tools. Don't be afraid to ask a question, even if it sounds silly. If you are unsure about something, it's better to ask now rather than later when it's crunch time and you may not have someone to ask.

Ask situational, worst case scenario, and 'what if' questions. By asking questions you are preparing yourself should something go wrong. You may even ask a question to which your mentor may not know the answer, which can lead to an opportunity to figure it out together.

If you want to learn to to ask better questions, read our article How To Start Asking Better Questions.

View Failure As A Good Thing 

You may be thinking to yourself "What? Failure as a good thing? No way!", but hear me out. Failure gets a bad rap. When we think of failure, we view it as a purely negative experience, where instead it can be reframed as an opportunity to improve. Those who see failure as the absolute end will never realize their true potential by giving up too soon.

Instead of beating yourself up next time you fail, take a moment to step back and ask yourself why you failed. Was it a lack of knowledge? Did you rush through something? Did you forget an important step? By asking yourself important questions, you can begin to see where you went wrong and fix it for next time.

The article, The Transformative Power Of Failure, goes into greater detail of how we can view our failures as successes and learn from them instead of trying to hide them or feel embarrassed

Change Up Your Daily Routine 

Even something as small as changing your daily routine can help you step out of your comfort zone. You're not completely flipping your routine upside down, but changing it up enough to keep you on your toes. If you come home from school or work and the first thing you do is sit down and watch TV, try something else.

Go for a run, work out, read a book, practice a skill, anything to shake it up a bit. Instead of having the same thing for breakfast every morning, try something new. 

When you change up your daily routine, you keep your mind sharp. When we fall into routine, we sometimes begin to go through the motions without thinking. By being conscious of your actions, you can focus on them more.

Discomfort Can Be Good

We have all experienced discomfort before. There is a difference between discomfort and pain. We know that if we feel sharp pain during a workout, we should stop right away to reduce the chances of further hurting ourselves. If we feel discomfort or soreness after our workout, we know that's good because those muscles are growing stronger.

The same applies to stepping out of your comfort zone. Every time you feel a bit of discomfort, imagine that you're growing your resilience and decreasing the fears associated with the unknown.

All forms of growth involve a bit of discomfort. Think of a snake shedding its skin or a butterfly emerging from its cocoon. In both examples, the creature has grown beyond its physical limits and needs to shed in order to continue to grow. We are like that as well. 

See The Benefits

With any problem, there's a solution. Same goes with leaving your comfort zone. What are you hoping to gain when you tackle that task? What will be easier in your life? What will you learn? These are questions to ask yourself when you start to step out of your comfort zone.

Imagine stepping out of your comfort zone like entering a forest. At first it may be intimidating, since you don't know what you'll find. But soon you'll be surrounded by beauty. You'll be one with nature and in awe at all the wonderful things hidden in plain sight.

Don't Let Excuses Ru(i)n Your Life

Opportunities won't come knocking at your door. You have to go and search for them. If you are 'waiting for the right time' to start or do something, you may be waiting all your life. To grow, you must have the right attitude. Living with excuses for why you can't do something will only delay personal growth.

Not having time or not being in the right mindset may occasionally be a valid reason; we all have off days now and again, but if you're constantly putting off opportunities, you'll never grow.

Instead, think about how stepping out of your comfort zone will improve your life. Focus on the new things you will learn and use that as motivation. When you see a clearer end goal, your desire to continue increases. 

Summary

Every new experience, skill, and achievement is another badge on the sash of your life, or another feather in your cap. Be open to trying new things and experiencing what the world has to offer. You never know when the next big idea or lightbulb moment will strike. You may just discover a new passion or hidden talent along the way.  

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