the benefits of getting out of your comfort zone

We make many choices every day that keep us in our comfort zone.  There is nothing wrong with our comfort zones....unless we don’t get out of them on a consistent basis or never get out them at all.  A few indicators you might be stuck in your comfort zone are:

• Boredom
  
• Uncreativeness
  
• Feeling trapped
  
• Low energy levels
  
• Inconsistent positive mood
  
• Analysis paralysis
  
• Feeling weighed down (sometimes shows up as physical body weight)
  

Why do we Choose our Comfort Zone?

Stepping out and doing something different, whether it’s a new routine, a new club, or a new restaurant, can bring up anxiety and discomfort.  To avoid this, we choose familiarity.  Familiarity helps to predict our day and evening and lets you know what to expect. There are no surprises with familiarity,and therefore no anxiety or discomfort.

When you continuously choose to stay in your comfort zone, you are choosing to not face your fears and/or a new challenge. You aren’t being stretched and you don’t live into your potential. This turns into a boring, dull life.

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What if you Stepped out of your Comfort Zone Instead?

When we step out of our comfort zones and into the ‘unknown’ it allows life to unfold before us.  Life becomes more of an adventure.  Experiences happen that wouldn’t normally and the potential for you to learn or discover something you wouldn’t normally is ripe to happen.  This colors your life and adds dimension.  When we take risks, we are often rewarded more than we know.  But we need to take the steps in that direction for the rewards to appear.  And yes, when you take a risk, there is a chance that it won’t go well.  But, by not taking the risk, you miss out on the good stuff. This is why the dullness of life sets in.

• More options come available to you that didn’t before
  

• Feeling of lightness
  
• Less Shoulda-coulda-woulda
  
• Thinking is free-er; less analysis paralysis
  
• Energy and readiness to get into action appear

Risks and Benefits?

• Unknowns (risky, but adventurous)
  
• Things could not go well (ugh)
  
• Meet new interesting people (fun!)
  
• Discover new things to do (fun x2)
  
• Your energy levels rise (Whee!)
  
• You feel better on a daily basis (Yippee!)
  
• Improved relationships with partner/family/friends (Nice!)
  
• Clarity (Phew)

In the end, always choosing the safe, comfort zone just doesn’t feel as good.  It’s comfortable, but heavy and boring.  It can lead to a ‘trudging through the day’ existence. You don’t feel really alive (because part of being alive is feeling uncomfortable sometimes)!

Imagine a life where you say “that was fun!” and “Whee!” and “Yippee!" Wouldn’t stepping out of your comfort zone be worth it for that?

Are you ready?  Are you ready to get out of your comfort zone?

Schedule a free life coaching consultation today to get started.

Image credit: Outside my comfort zone by Lars Plougmann via Creative Commons License Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0