TaraHave you ever really wanted to do something but have been too scared to do it?
Maybe you were asked to speak for your company, or you decided to start a new business. That first step into something new and uncomfortable can hold us back from actually making progress and growing.
Yet growth can lead to new and exciting opportunities, both personally and professionally. In order to make progress in your life, you have to be willing to get out of your comfort zone and do the hard things.
Stepping out of our comfort zone can be scary (like starting a new business, networking, offering our rates to a potential client). But it’s important we stretch ourselves because that’s the only way to grow.
How do we step out of our comfort zone?
1) Identify the thing that scares you
As my friend and mindset coach says, you have to name your thoughts in order to tame them. The first step to getting out of your comfort zone is figuring out the thing that scares you. Once you’re able to identify that fear, you can start working toward overcoming it and stepping out of your comfort zone.
2) Identify both positive and negative changes you’ve had in your life over the past year
What are some things that have happened over the past year that have been positive changes? What have been negative?
Then try to remember how you felt during those changes. What feelings do you want to experience again? What feelings would you rather not experience? What triggered those feelings?
Once you’ve identified those feelings and what triggered them, think about what you would do differently if you experience those same changes or triggers again.
3) Write down what you’d like to change over the next year
Start to envision what you would like the future to look like. What changes do you want to make? What feelings do you want to feel?
Use the previous practice of identifying those positive and negative changes to help you identify how you can get to where you want to go over the next year.
4) Make stepping out of your comfort zone a habit
It’s easy to get complacent or to avoid change when it’s scary. But by making those things that push you outside of your comfort zone a habit, you can begin to find growth more frequently and easily.
Start by trying some new things and tackling those things that scare you just a little head-on. Spend time with like-minded people who will help you reach your goals. “They” say you’re equivalent to the five people you spend the most time with, so make sure those five people are doing things that push them as well.
And, most of all, have fun! Change can be scary, but it can also bring new and exhilarating progress to your life! Enjoy the journey!
