Stepping out of your comfort zone can seem really daunting. The thought of things not being as they usually are and having less control is enough to stop people from taking risks and opportunities that could benefit your life. Here are some tips to start you on your journey to stepping out of your comfort zone.
- The first step is to acknowledge what makes you uncomfortable so you know what you need to work on. Start by writing a list of the things you don’t like doing, maybe that’s delivering presentations or chairing a meeting. Pick one thing on that list and challenge yourself to do it by a set date. Share your goal with a trusted friend so they can keep you accountable.
- To build up to something big like giving a presentation, start small. Switch up your daily routine in minor ways, purely to get comfortable with change. This can be as simple as taking a different route to work. Or if you tend to eat lunch alone, invite a colleague to share a lunch break with you. A couple of small changes can start to make stepping out of your comfort zone that bit easier.
- Then you can move on to other changes – try a genre of film or book or a type of food that you’ve not engaged with before. These simple acts can broaden your mindset and reinforce the joys of trying out new things – or at the very least, reinforce the idea that it’s ok to do so.
- Overall, it’s a great idea to become more of a yes person. It’s easy to get stuck in our ways and stay comfortable with what we know. So make a conscious decision to say yes more. To invitations, to work challenges, to social events. If people have invited you to these things, they think you’re a good fit, so go for it. Doing new things and thriving, or even just surviving (!) builds your confidence to step out of your comfort zone in ever more important ways.
- Remember that it is ok to fail. Successful people fail all the time. Think of Richard Branson’s failed enterprises (wedding dresses, cola, cars, balloon ride, rockets…) We still think of him as a huge success story. So it’s ok if you try something new and it doesn’t work out. You can still take the learning from that experience, and improve your offering or try something different. Better to have that experience of growth than to stagnate in your comfort zone.
- With every small expanding step you take you are on your way to a more diverse and open mindset, so celebrate and reward yourself when you try something new – whatever the outcome of that experience. The best way to get results is by being kind to yourself and acknowledging that you’ve done something good by giving things a go.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is a fantastic way to progress and grow and embrace the full panoply of what life has to offer. I wish you all the best with your new experiences and if you feel like you need help with taking calculated risks in life, do get in touch.