STEPPING OUTSIDE THE COMFORT ZONE

‘Step outside your comfort zone’

For me, this phrase has become a bit of a buzz word, sometimes in order to get people to do something they don’t want to do.

The action of stepping outside your comfort zone can be a really powerful one, and the picture I have chosen highlights the possibility, but is more than just doing something we don’t want to do, this is about challenge that can lead to change.

Notice, when you blow up a balloon and then deflate it again, it never goes back to the same shape. Image this is your comfort zone, once you step outside, you change! When we regularly challenge ourselves to step outside our comfort zone we can truly start to grow.

This does not always have to be a physical challenge. It could be anything that takes you from a place of comfort, a challenging conversation, applying for a new job, maybe there is a little fear of the consequences, but once you have done it there will be some learning (and this applies to getting it wrong or getting it right), from learning we can grow.

What is happening when you feel fear? Where do you feel it? What is the fear? It is valuable to feel the emotions and then explore deeper what is going on inside. It is not often that we just feel fear, we are often afraid of something – for me it has sometimes been the fear of failure, I can’t tell you how many times it has stopped me! Notice how the brain hijacks the decision making process and tries to steer back toward the comfort zone. If we acknowledge the fear response as being human and that it is part of our body’s natural response to danger - Fight, Flight, Freeze, we can then move through the initial emotional response and explore with logic.

In the words of Erin Hanson and Winnie the Pooh – ‘what if I fall? Oh, but my darling what if you fly?’

Reflection and feedback are both powerful tools for growth. Thinking about what we have done, and exploring:

What Went Well (WWW)

Even Better If (EBI)

Then carry the learning forward – this becomes part of your ‘tool box’. When faced with challenging situations in the future, you can draw from the knowledge of your previous experiences.

So take a moment to reflect:

When was the last time you challenged yourself?

What did you learn from it?

As we are all uniquely different so are our comfort Zones, start with a gradual stretch and see where it takes you (even if it is having a clear out that you have been putting off for a while!)

How can you challenge yourself?

'Do something today that your future self will thank you for'! (Unknown)