Leave Discomfort Enter Growth

Ah yes, that feels really comfortable, sitting in front of an open fire, having a wine, relaxing. A nice thought especially with winter coming on, however how long can we sit in front of the fire? Forever? Relaxation is very important, however if this means always being in the comfort zone, then you could be missing out your unrealised potential and growth essential for your success. Continual stretch expands boundaries and gives you the possibility of a new perspective around your capabilities. As a leader it’s important not to become complacent, continually test your comfort zone and move onto new horizons.

“You can choose courage or you can choose comfort. You cannot have both.” - Brene Brown

Discomfort = A Better YOU

A Success article by Sonia Thompson shows “5 Ways Stepping Outside My Comfort Zone Made Me a Better Person.” Have you ever had one of those moments where you experienced life in a way you never imagined possible? A period of unexpected bliss when you wanted to pinch yourself to see if what you were feeling was real or a dream? It happened to me recently. I was on a farm in rural Argentina eating homemade cheese, salami and flan with a lovely family. We warmed ourselves with the fire from the wood-burning stove as we played with the kids and traded stories about life in our respective countries.

It was a magical afternoon that I will cherish forever. And it was made possible by a decision I made a few years earlier: to embrace discomfort. I spent much of the first three decades of my life doing whatever I could to stay comfortable. I was careful not to rock the boat, not to do things that made me look silly and check everything off of the “supposed to do” list. So I started intentionally making myself uncomfortable. It started with small things, like learning to swim and taking surfing lessons. Over the years it grew into bigger adventures, like traveling solo through South America by bus. Here are five transformational benefits I discovered from intentionally making myself uncomfortable. And if you start stepping outside your comfort zone, you’ll begin to experience them, too:

• Closed doors begin to open
• You sharpen unused skills
• You can laugh in fear’s face
• You’ll have no regrets
• You grow into yourself

When I started intentionally making myself uncomfortable, I got acquainted with parts of myself that had always existed but had been lying dormant for decades. I discovered more flaws, uncovered new strengths and felt more like me than I ever had when living in my “safe zone.” And if you’d like to wake up the parts of you that have been lying dormant, do something you’ve never done before. Don’t rob yourself of the chance of getting to rediscover who you are or what you’re made of.

It’s easy to understand why people enjoy being comfortable. You get in a routine. You feel in control. You can predict what’s going to happen. Although stepping outside your comfort zone can look and feel scary, the abundance of benefits that exist on the other side of a little temporary discomfort are totally worth it. So start making yourself a little uncomfortable. Say yes to something you might have previously said no to. The uneasiness will soon give way to bliss.

Young Entrepreneurs Views on Comfort

The Young Entrepreneur Council outlined in Success in 2017 “10 Ways to Overcome Fear and Break out of Your Comfort Zone.” Fear is a natural and essential part of growth. Every time we consciously choose to step outside of our comfort zone, the next uncomfortable thing becomes a little bit easier. Here’s what members of the Young Entrepreneur Council said.

• Take nothing for granted
• Switch up your routine
• Move toward your fears
• Give up control
• Try something new until you feel comfortable
• Ask the questions other people don’t like to
• Start conversations with strangers
• Agree to something you wouldn’t normally consider
• Get in front of the camera
• Keep a list of growth goals

From the Comfort Zone to the “Growth Zone”

In Positive Psychology it shows “How to leave your comfort zone and enter your growth zone.” Life is full of opportunities to step outside the comfort zone, but grabbing hold of them can be difficult. What holds people back most of the time is their frame of mind rather than any distinct lack of knowledge. The phrase ‘comfort zone’ was coined by management thinker Judith Bardwick in her 1991 work Danger in the Comfort Zone:

“The comfort zone is a behavioural state within which a person operates in an anxiety-neutral condition, using a limited set of behaviours to deliver a steady level of performance, usually without a sense of risk.”

Within the comfort zone, there isn’t much incentive for people to reach new heights of performance. It’s here that people go about routines devoid of risk, causing their progress to plateau. But the concept can be traced further back to the world of behavioural psychology. In 1907, Robert Yerkes and John Dodson conducted one of the first experiments that illuminated a link between anxiety and performance. They saw that mice became more motivated to complete mazes when given electric shocks of increasing intensity – but only up to a point. Above a certain threshold, they began to hide rather than perform. Corresponding behaviour has been seen in human beings. This makes sense because in response to anxiety-provoking stimuli, the options are either fight (meet the challenge), flight (run away/hide), or freeze (become paralysed).

It takes courage to step from the comfort zone into the fear zone. Sometimes, we even need to retreat to the comfort zone periodically before mustering the strength to leave again. Nevertheless, appreciating the steps can help in tolerating uncertainty. While occupying the comfort zone, it’s tempting to feel safe, in control, and that the environment is on an even keel. It’s smooth sailing.

“The best sailors, however, aren’t born in smooth waters”

Benefits of Leaving the Comfort Zone are:

• Self-actualization
• Development of a growth mindset
• Resilience and antifragility
• Greater self-efficacy

4 Tips to Leaving Your Comfort Zone:

• Reframe stress
• Understand neuroplasticity
• Prioritize
• Small steps

Join the COURAGEOUS WOMEN PROGRAM TOUR!

Common traits of courageous leaders

In my blog about “Successful Courageous People,” I outlined 15 traits that are essential. I’m regularly speaking and working with successful people across the globe especially about courage and leadership. Since 2007, I’ve spoken to over a 1,000 CEOs, executives, authors, politicians and even neuroscientists .When speaking to these individuals, I always notice common traits that they all have, which lend to their success. I’ve boiled all of these into the top 15 things that all of them have in common:

• They courageously know when to stay, step up, start up and when to leave 
• They go above and beyond even if it takes courage 
• They are willing to courageous fail so they can eventually succeed 
• They have an action bias 
• They set real and courageous goals that they can accomplish 
• They truly take accountability for themselves and their actions 
• They lead change instead of being affected by it 
• They can communicate their story and what they stand for. 
• They ask the right questions to the people who can deliver the right answers 
• They are life-long learners who push themselves out of their comfort zones 
• They know who they are and their place in the world 
• Using setbacks as steppingstones 
• They are more driven about the journey than the outcomes
• They create instead of just consume 
• They don’t shy away from tough conversations 

Move from COMFORT to being a LEADER

McDonald Inc. has a vision to: “Lead 1 million women to have Courage, Step in, Step up and Start up.” Through a compelling need, McDonald Inc. has the solutions and is now taking women’s leadership to the next level. This will help women across the globe become courageous in their lives, careers and through leadership especially in sectors where women are under-represented. Choose one of our programmes to take your leadership to the next level:

• Courage to Step In - getting into and back into workforce – career transitions and helping women back into workforce after a career break or those who don’t have resources
• Courage to Step Up  - getting a seat at the table 
• Courage to Start up - entrepreneurial program 
• Courage to Lead - leadership for future of work 
• Leadership and Executive Coaching
• And, remember, Leadership starts from within, so grab my latest book FIRST COMES COURAGE!

Get in touch today to learn more about building leadership skills and set yourself up for success!

Stay Kind. Stay Courageous.

Sonia x