Living Outside My Comfort Zone

I’ve spent the past five days in the jungle of Costa Rica. I’m part of a small group of CEOs that belong to a large, international organization called The Entrepreneurs’ Organization. This group is an integral part of my life and my business. We challenge each other to do better, be better, and think better. Our goals are set around pushing ourselves to be great leaders, to grow into who we’re meant to be. A lot of learning takes place in this group, both introspectively and outwardly.

The last five days were a good balance of working on our businesses and challenging ourselves. Costa Rica was never a place I’d planned to visit – nothing against it, but it just hadn’t hit my list. Now, after this past week, I wish I could be there again tomorrow. Not only was it an amazing experience in terms of flora and fauna, but it forced me to be uncomfortable – physically, mentally, and emotionally. It’s never fun to be uncomfortable, but I’ve worked hard to embrace it more and more as I try to grow my skills as a business owner and a human being.

Humans are creatures of comfort – I know I am. Our comfort zone is our natural, neutral state — a place where stress and anxiety are minimal, where we know what’s coming at us next. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with being in your comfort zone, unless you get too comfortable and start holding yourself back instead of challenging yourself to learn, grow and try new things.

That said, I have come up with four reasons to push myself outside my comfort zone and I thought I’d share them with you!

1. Taking risks is what helps us grow. As children, we’re born to take risks – it’s how we learn about the world we live in. But as we age and learn to fear the pain of failure, we start holding ourselves back and attempting fewer new things. This comes at a high cost to our tremendous potential for lifelong growth and transformation. I have found that I have a higher-than-normal tolerance to risk. But what helps me out is that I’m not afraid to fail. I’d rather get knocked on my ass, but learn a valuable lesson, so that I can get up and succeed the next time. The best lessons I have learned in life and in business have been because I have failed. There is no learning without some fumbling and difficulty. If I want to keep learning, I have to keep taking risks.
2. Trying new things makes me more creative. Creativity is risky — when I share creative work, I open myself up to possible rejection. Creative endeavors are subjective – you have no control over another person’s reaction. At the same time, risking rejection increases the possibility of great creative achievement. In order to cultivate openness to experience, calculated risks, challenging myself, and trying new things, are necessary steps. I find that being open to new experiences helps channel my creativity in a massive way. I am most likely to find a creative solution when I’ve let myself do something that I’ve never done before.
3. I find that I’m more productive! Comfort kills productivity because without the sense of unease that comes from having deadlines and expectations, I tend to phone it in and do the minimum required to get by. I start to lose the drive and ambition to do more and learn new things. I sometimes fall into my own work trap, where I tell myself I’m so busy as a way to stay in my comfort zones and avoid doing new things. Pushing my personal boundaries helps me stay mentally sharp, get more done, and find smarter ways to work.
4. Challenging myself helps me perform at my peak. Is it weird to say that I feel younger when I challenge myself? Wandering through the jungle of Costa Rica, spying on ginormous crocodiles, watching monkeys swing from branches, meeting animals I never knew existed and viewing the scarlet macaws as they are mating in a cashew tree, made me feel younger. It challenged the way I see the world – my world. When I’m challenged by new experiences, I find myself able to take on more. When I’m learning about new environments and navigating new experiences, I feel energized which creates energy that can focus on doing more and learning more.

Sometimes I get complacent. It’s often easier to stay in my comfort zone than to push beyond. However, when I do get out there, I’m a better person. The benefits I get after stepping outside of my comfort zone can linger and they tend to build on each other with each new experience. So here’s to getting out there and trying new foods, learning new languages, and experiencing the world!

Motivate. Inspire. Persuade. Communicate. There is power in bringing your message to life visually. At Artitudes, we specialize in adding that power to your message. Artitudes Design Inc. is a full-service graphic design firm based in the Seattle area.

We deliver award-winning design solutions for your business. If you need an outstanding executive-level presentation, print collateral that captivates, motion graphics that move your customers, or an integrated marketing campaign that creates action, contact us at [email protected]. Check out some of our work at www.artitudesdesign.com. We look forward to hearing from you!