Let’s begin this post with an exercise: Name three things that you avoid doing. It could be going...
7 Reasons to Step Out of Your Comfort Zone Today
Living your life with a set routine can be comfortable. It's natural to fall into the trap of never leaving your comfort zone where everything is stress and risk-free.
However, no matter how stressful and anxiety-inducing life can get, it shouldn't stop you from trying new things and exploring what the world has to offer. The more time you spend in your comfort zone, the harder it is for you to leave. By embracing the unknown and the feeling of being uncomfortable, you'll be able to enrich your life in a myriad of ways.
In this article, we'll look at the seven reasons you should step out of your comfort zone.
Build Your Confidence
Often, people will worry about their level of self-confidence. However, it's important to know that lacking confidence is okay. Confidence is not something you are born with but a skill that can be learned and built upon in the right environment.
By facing your fears, taking risks, and stepping outside of your comfort zone, you'll be able to develop confidence through various experiences. The more you do, the more you achieve, and the further your confidence will grow. Of course, this will take time – so be patient with yourself, set personal goals, and trust the process. It's all about taking the small wins you make in life and building your self-confidence.
The saying "You'll never know unless you try" rings true with stepping outside of your comfort zone. There are dozens of things that you might still need to try. But, by keeping to the familiar and avoiding the unknown, you will never know what you're missing out on or what you might find!
It's common for people to have preconceived notions about certain activities, foods, and places. However, if you've never tried or been there before, there's no sure way to tell if you'll enjoy yourself. By stepping outside of your comfort zone and trying all that there is, you'll not only find a new passion but also broaden your perspective on the world and what it has to offer.
Increase Your Creativity
Like the body, the mind needs exercise to stay fit and creative. By sticking to what you know best and what is familiar, you prevent your mind from stretching beyond its mental limits and expanding its creative horizons.
By taking in new sights, thoughts, ideas, and activities, you're exposing your mind to new experiences and stirring up creative juices. You'll be able to solve problems better and apply the learnings of new experiences to your everyday life. You will be able to awaken your imagination and see the whole world from a new perspective.
Build Resilience and Adaptability
Stress can be harmful to the body and mind. However, small amounts of stress can actually benefit the human body and mind. Healthy stress can act as a catalyst for growth and provide powerful motivation. Whether it's public speaking or trying to paint for the first time – these first-time experiences can help you train your mind to embrace the icky and uncomfortable feeling that comes with trying new things.
Doing these often makes your mind (much like your muscles after exercising) stronger and more resilient to changes. As a result, you'll be able to adapt much quicker to all sorts of environments and experiences – building your ability to conquer anything that comes your way regardless of how afraid, stressed, and anxious you may be.
Overcome Your Fears
For many people, staying in their comfort zone is a result of fear. These fears can include not knowing what's going to happen, taking too big of a risk, or being judged by others. The truth is that we sometimes need to overcome these fears to grow as people. Unfortunately, in avoiding what we fear, we repeatedly limit ourselves to the same experiences, and we start to hold ourselves back and attempt very few things.
This can become a dangerous cycle where eventually, you might not try new things at all and fall into a rut. However, by challenging yourself and breaking the cycle, you'll be able to instill a sense of fearlessness in yourself and build the self-confidence mentioned earlier in this article.
Keep reading: How To Conquer Your Fears: 7 Steps
Meet New People
Another reason you should step out of your comfort zone is to meet new people! It's understandable that this can be overwhelming, and you might feel alone at the start, but people are much kinder than you think. So, strike up that first conversation and start with some small talk. Odds are it might also be their first time trying something new, and they're equally as afraid as you are.
By taking that first step and meeting new people, you'll be able to understand different perspectives that you've never considered before. You might even find that you and the people around you have a lot in common – this might even spark the beginning of a new friendship!
There Are Zero 'What-Ifs'
Last but not least, stepping outside of your comfort zone means trying new things. Those who never venture far will never know what their life could be if they had just tried. Taking that risk, failing, and picking yourself up is all part of the process, but hey! – at least you tried your best. Taking that risk means having no regrets later down in life. You'll not only learn more about the world but know that you've done all you can to see what the world has to offer.
Keep reading! Click here to discover 9 tips to help you step out of your comfort zone!