Why Your Comfort Zone Is the Most Dangerous Place
Everything you ever wanted is on the other side of your comfort zone.
It's a quote that many people have said time and time again to push people beyond their comfort zones to great effects. But more often than not, whenever examples of confidence spring up, you and I only tend to see the end results. We see the final results of people's efforts but not the efforts themselves.
There are other aspects that are hidden from us as well. Why should you be stepping out of your comfort zone in the first place? Why is it dangerous for you to leave things as they are?
Comfort zone is a zone or position in which you feel comfortable. As long as you stay in this area, you're not going to feel pressured, anxious, or stressed. At first glance, it's a good position to be in on the surface.
So why is it so bad for you to be staying in that zone? Well, one thing that I've come to learn about improving myself is that in order to improve, it's essential that you embrace fear and change in your life.
The issue with fear and change is that, when we are comfortable, we are less inclined to make those changes and lean on our fear. In the end, your life will begin to stall and remain unchanged.
On the surface, this doesn't seem all that bad. However, with life, change tends to find a way. Whether it's through something large like the coronavirus to something smaller like you wanting to be a better partner or financially secure, these shifts come with risks and changes.
And depending on how much we are in our comfort zone will determine how much we resist those changes, even in situations where those changes are very good for us.
What Holds You Back from Stepping Out of the Comfort Zone?
The most common resistance can be boiled down to three fears:
Fear of change
If you have a fear of change, you'll justify it in order to procrastinate on whatever it is that you need to be doing. You would rather keep things the way they are than put in work and take risks.
It's a natural feeling that you've likely been leaning on ever since you were a child. It's been ingrained in you. What matters now is that you work on changing it.
Fear of failure
I'm sure that many of you can relate as this particular fear can be instilled in various ways:
- A childhood event or upbringing can cause you to internalize damaging mindsets.
- You are a perfectionist or have perfectionist tendencies.
- You over-inflate failures in your head, whether they are in reality big or small.
- You are masking true confidence with false confidence when it comes to your personality and abilities.
Fear of failure can be described as a lack of confidence in yourself and your current abilities to complete a task or goal.
Fear of the unknown
Life is a mystery, and we have no idea where it'll take us. Some people are paranoid about this as they feel like they can't have everything under control.
How you react depends on who you are, but it always comes back to you resisting change out of worry that your life could be different or, at best, better.
By overcoming all these fears, you'll be able to break out of the comfort zone and get anything you want in life.
How to Break out of the Comfort Zone
Regardless of what fear you have, the methods to pushing yourself out of your comfort zone are relatively similar. I say relative because how people choose to act in order to succeed and strive in life varies from person to person.
There is no specific method that you need to take to push your comfort zone. What matters is that you do it in a way that makes sense for you.
1. Look at Your Habits and Challenge Them
Habits are things that you pick up from various life events. Some habits stem from family and friends, while other habits stem from your past achievements. Pay attention to the particular habits that have led you to past achievements.
These achievements can be big or small, but they remain with us so long as we exercise them. For example, consider walking. Walking was something we built a habit towards, and now we can do it without fail so long as we're able to use both our legs.
One way that you can push out of your comfort zone is to look at your habits and begin to challenge them. If it's a bad habit or a habit you want to break, replace it with a better one and reinforce it. For pre-existing good habits, find new and exciting ways to push yourself.
For example, say you love working out and are in great physical shape. One way to break out of your comfort zone of your otherwise solid exercise routine is to try a different exercise or take a new class they're offering at the gym. Or maybe you can give yourself a goal to prepare for a marathon.
In either scenario, this can present great challenges and change your life. When working out, you may not be so focused on cardio. On the other hand, if you're breaking a habit, the challenge is starting a new one and implementing it.
2. Remind Yourself of Key Aspects of Change
Another way to break your comfort zone is to remind yourself of some key aspects of change. Change is a journey that you must take if you want to succeed. Part of that change is having lessons and learning from those lessons.
These lessons can stem from failures and successes. Some examples of these are:
- If you want to change, you'll need to trust yourself.
- The process matters just as much as the results you'll get in the end.
- Effort in change is what matters. Even if you fail, you at least put in the effort, and that makes all the difference.
As many others have said before me, even if you fail, it's not a complete failure unless you didn't learn something. Learning is all a part of life, and walking away with a lesson can be just as rewarding as achieving something.
3. Consider What's Beyond Your Comfort Zone
When you have an idea of what the change looks like, you can be motivated to make that vision a reality. Try writing down three new things you would like to try. Tackle one of them each month. By starting small with things you are interested in, it will motivate you to step out more often.
4. Get Comfortable With Being Uncomfortable
Always wanting more and never settling can seem scary for those in their comfort zones, but I'd say this is how you ought to live your life. Always strive to make changes, big or small. Will the changes be uncomfortable for a time? Probably. But after some time, it will become your new normal, and you won't even remember the discomfort that came before.
5. See Failure as a Mentor or Teacher
I hinted at this as lessons can stem from failure. By training yourself to see failure as a teacher before experiencing failure, the experience will be easier for you. In an instant, you reframe yourself as a student, someone who is learning the right way to being more successful.
Final Thoughts
Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.
This quote makes sense once you understand what your comfort zone really is and look at what comes when you begin to make changes in your life.
If you're ready to take your first step out of the comfort zone, this guide is for you:
It's never too late to stretch and break your comfort zone. You can begin to make small changes in your life today and watch over time as they transform your life into something better. All you have to do is have a plan, adopt a method, and take action!
This article was originally published on Lifehack.