It certainly does feel safe inside your comfort zone. There is no stress, no striving, not much noticeable change. Things kind of stay the same. But what kind of adventure awaits you if you push the boundaries a little – or even a lot?
Your comfort zone is full of sameness
You’re just like everyone else. That’s comfortable, isn’t it? You don’t stand out, you aren’t at odds with anyone, everyone more or less agrees with you. You play it safe, you manage to get by, and maybe you’re even settling for less. Is that comfortable or is it just plain dull?
98% of people live in their comfort zone!
But what if you want to be part of the 2% who live outside your comfort zone? What does that look like? How do you get there?
Living outside your comfort zone means freedom!
Moving beyond your comfort zone means you go exploring. You go places you’ve never been, you try things you’ve never done before. You question everything. You adapt and tweak and create a new version of whatever it is you’re doing.
Going beyond your comfort zone means living without limits
You can go wherever you want to go. You can use your passion and talent and unique gifts to create whatever calls to you. You try new combinations, explore new ideas, and experiment with your unique approach. You share your authentic self. You let your life unfold, taking what comes and shaping it in the moment, adapting what shows up for the perfect purpose for now. No limits. Only possibilities.
Moving beyond your comfort zone mean going for you dreams
The bottom line for nearly everyone is that we want to feel we have value, and that we contribute. How we do that is something we have to figure out for ourselves. Our dreams may be huge or they may be modest, but when we expect the best, there’s no way we’re going to settle for second best. What dreams are calling you to move beyond your comfort zone?
You’ll find fulfillment when you move beyond your comfort zone
Fulfillment comes when you align your gifts, talents and skills with your all-consuming passion. You’re excited about what you do. You’re touched by the lives you change. You grow as a person. All because you “stepped outside the box”.
We find excellence when we push our boundaries
People who know themselves, who cultivate their gifts, and find multiple ways to express their passion, reach a level of excellence that cannot be found simply by striving, perseverance or exploration. You have to push the boundaries to find your best self.
Push the edges of that box!
You don’ t have to jump off a cliff. You don’t have to go sky-diving. There are modest ways to push the edges of your comfort zone, to put your toe in the water or take a few steps forward so you get a different view.
Know when you are playing small
Recognize the times you hold yourself back because of fear, lack of self-confidence, or even not knowing what to do next. That’s where you start. Choose an area you’d like to expand and begin there.
Choose a few steps
A balloon is blown up one breath at a time. One inhale and one exhale. It’s a process repeated until the results are achieved. What breath will you take?
Do you need to learn a new skill? My video scripts are waiting for me to simply record one and edit it – for better or worse. I don’t even have to post it. But I do need to record something and edit it so I know how to do it and can see how to make my videos better. You don’t know until you give it a try.
I may need more information. I was on a webinar recently on storytelling that offered the idea of choosing an ordinary incident, looking for the universal truth in it and crafting a story. That sequence set me on fire and greatly improved the quality and frequency of the stories I include in my work. I needed new insight and instruction in order to move past what I’d been comfortable doing.
Both of those examples are changes I made in myself, my willingness, my action. That’s a good place to start.
What needs to change in you in order to move outside your comfort zone?
I write like the wind and feel uncomfortable every time I have to do something technical. Until…I do it enough times that it becomes easy. I practice. I need to change my belief that technical steps are a big bad barrier that I have to work hard to overcome. What if I saw the technical as a new trick that would unlock a special treasure? That would change my outlook.
Make a conscious choice to step beyond your comfort zone
The wonderful thing is that if I take one step outside my comfort zone and stand there for a bit, it becomes part of the known, the familiar. It becomes part of my comfort zone.
Then I get to take another step!
To Sing a Deeper Song consider:
Are You Living Your Personal Best?
How to Allow Your Vision to Unfold
04–How to Redefine Yourself and the 30 Year Plan
07- How to Find and Express Your Distinctive Voice
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