Transition from the Comfort Zone to the Growth Zone

One of the most used expressions in the corporate world these days is?“Comfort?Zone". They call it?'Comfort Zone'?for a reason: It's?'comfortable'?and?'safe'. However, our comfort zone can also turn into a place of stagnation. I have seen professionals getting stuck into their trap for years. One that keeps?them away?from seizing opportunities for growth, just because it involves something unfamiliar.

In our comfort zone, we don’t necessarily feel challenged by our work. We take it easy, complete our tasks leisurely, and we don’t feel the need to?challenge ourselves or?change our routine because we don’t want the?extra?headache or the pain of having to learn new things. In the growth zone, we face the opposite.?

In order to start getting out of?the?comfort zone and pushing forward, let's have a look at these?5 steps to get from where we are to where we want to be:

1. Modify Routine

Begin?by?altering?your usual routine. Challenge yourself to build new one that is focused on change and success.?You need to build a daily routine to succeed , but not just any old routine, one that is geared to keep you ahead. By changing things up and experimenting things in a different way can keep your efficiency and productivity high that will give you access to that elusive work-life balance .

As well as that you’ll get to see things from a different perspective that will help you move in different ways, ways that aren’t exactly comfortable all the time. Comfort is a big part of having a routine, so changing it up can bring about new ideas and a new mindset.?Altering small things like how long you get ready or making big changes like putting away social media for most of the day can help you be more deliberate with your actions and decisions and even discover new ideas or goals.?

2. Challenge?Belief?System

We must learn how to diversify . Be it a circle we operate in or our own belief system . Let’s stay open to experiment newer things in life. Try and interact with?newer?people from different walks of life who?can?help us bring in?new?perspectives?and learning opportunities.?Our network isn’t limited to people either, there are plenty of ways to tap into?mentors ?and other’s?points of view through expanding what?we?read and what?we watch and what we?follow?on social media.?

This will lead to a paradigm shift .?So, shaking our beliefs up can be a great way to see what sticks and what you can shed for new and more empowering ones.?Constantly telling?myself from a young age that?I am uncapable of pushing past a certain point can become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Refuting it just once won’t change that either,?we?need to keep the pressure up and prove?ourselves?wrong, so?let’s not give up on it after just a few attempts, give that growth zone another push.?

3. Grow?Skillset?

How about trying out a new skill, or developing one?we?already have but feel?we?can be better at can be the first step to full-time growth? Baby steps are important so?let’s?make our action steps achievable and realistic as?we?up-skill?ourselves?and find new things?we can master to move?us?out of our comfort zone.

Skills?we?work?on relating to?business?or otherwise i.e.,?speaking?in front of a large gathering more eloquently, writing?an article,?or even working on soft skills?or playing a music instrument in personal time or writing an article.?Not only growing our skillset?will?bring about good change, but?that will also?boost?our confidence and?resilience ?to?accomplish a larger variety of tasks.?

4. Shakeup?Ramps?Up?

When everything is hunky-dory, our brain doesn’t want anything to change.?Our needs are met,?we?have zero stress , and our brain recognises that the body is surviving. It’s a recipe for?stagnation .?we?know deep down,?we’re capable of more?and we can deliver much better. In order to maximise performance,?we?need to be up against it from time to time.?

Trust me,?feeling comfortable does?nothing to?our growth.?If?we’re cozy in our ways,?we’ll do the bare minimum.?To make progress,?we?need to feel a little pressure . Whether it’s a?project?deadline, or a?personal?goal, a low level surge of uneasiness may be just what?we?need to take it to the next level.?In the typical workplace, people aren’t short on these swells of panic, and?we?should be aware of that, too.?

5. Mistakes?are?Beneficial

So,?we?calculated a risk, identified some positive outcomes and some negative ones, and went for it.?And the bad thing happened.?We?chalk the whole endeavor up as a mistake. In the grand scheme, everything is fine, but we’re bummed. We were hoping for it to go the other way.?

Failures are okay. Every?leader?and successful?individual’s biography highlights failed plans, pointing out that mistakes don’t define you. Actually, mistakes need to be celebrated as high points in the learning process. There are exceptions.?If we’re nice to people, mistakes are not only permitted but as accepted as well.?

Conclusion

To embrace a growth mindset,?we?need to be prepared to face risk and fear as well as agree to learning even more in order to move forward. Staying small is fine if someone is happy, but if not, what?we're going to do about it? It’s not just going to happen to?us by itself, so?we?need to put in the hard-work.?In business, we?also have a comfort zone?we?need to move out of it in order to reach the growth zone and become even more successful.?

In order to emerge into the growth zone,?we?need concrete, actionable strategies that can help overcome our reluctance. Actionable steps are more than just vague motivational?jargons?to?dig deeper?or?understand your purpose, these are tangible steps to take and go in a specific direction.?Even though?we?may struggle to wrap our head around new challenges, getting through these trials is what makes the growth zone work. It is necessary that?we?face new challenges head-on rather than avoid change in order to learn and grow as a person and as a business owner.?

About the Author

Muhammad Sajwani ?is the Founder and Managing Director of?Evolve HR ?which aims at transforming,?enriching and evolving Human Capital of Pakistan,?Evolve HR thrives in challenging assumptions that hinder organisational aspirations, by creating innovative solutions that yield maximum impact, scalability & benefit to a wider base of stakeholders.?As a Business Coach and Organisational Consultant, Sajwani knows how to combine business insights with people insights to transform organisations and put them on the path to growth.?

Follow us on?Twitter ?and?Instagram