Breaking out of one’s comfort zone is not something easy, but we need to train up ourselves to come out of our comfort zone – if we want to scale higher grounds in life.
The truth remains that we all have our comfort zones. The difference between successful people and everyone else is what they do with their comfort zone. We grow by taking risks to step outside our comfort zone. We are often afraid to take the first bold step.
Coming out of your comfort zone gives you the opportunity to learn new things and get exposed to life’s opportunities; it is also a chance to become the person you dreamed to be.
Let me take you through 5 steps that will help you come out of your comfort zone.
Overcome Your Fears
What are your fears? In truth, one of the reasons why so many people are still where they are, is the fear of rejection. They want to be accepted by all; they are waiting for people’s approval. Until you accept yourself, nobody will accept you. This is because everyone is waiting for approval, and people will not give you the approval to live your best life.
I’ve been rejected several times. There was a time I pitched a blog for guest posting and I was rejected. Because of that, I should have beaten myself and sat down in self pity, but I decide to move on with life.
There are things you believe are worth doing, but you are afraid of doing them because of fear of any kind of disappointment. I want you to break the chains of fear and get out of your comfort zone. Once you do that, taking risks won’t be difficult and you will grow in the process.
Embrace Failure As A Teacher
There is no success without failure. Failure gives you the opportunity to learn how to do things in a new way. Can you tell me of a successful man who has never failed before?
We are all afraid of failure. We would rather do nothing than taking a bold step to achieve our dreams.
You need to embrace failure as a teacher because it teaches more about life. Failure gives you a better experience about life. Have you learnt from your experiences? Take that lesson to your next adventure to increase your chances of success.
I applied for Tony Elumelu‘s list of entrepreneurs, but I wasn’t chosen. It’s not the end of life, because failure is not the end of life.
I’ve learnt a lot from my experiences. The fact that you failed yesterday doesn’t make you a failure. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you from achieving your dreams.
Try Something New And Do It Differently
Trying something you’ve never done before. Doing it differently will give you a glimpse of how unique and powerful you are. You won’t know how much greatness God has put in you until you challenge yourself. You won’t know how good you are at doing things differently, until you do it.
There are times I would love to challenge myself by things I’ve never done before, to know how good and unique I would be at doing it.
You’ll be more productive when you try something new. The comfort zone kills productivity, because it won’t give you the sense of urgency at achieving your dreams.
Trying new things will help you find it easier to brainstorm and harness your creativity. Trying new things will help you reflect on your old ideas, and where they clash with your new knowledge.
It will inspire you to learn more, and challenge confirmation of bias and your tendency to only seek out information you already agree with. Trying new things will help us brainstorm, see old problems in a new light, and tackle the challenges we face with new energy.
Break Your Routine
There is nothing wrong with routines. Yes, routines are good. They help us establish some semblance of control in our lives; but there are times you need to break your routine. Doing things the same way and waiting for different result is against productivity. A life changing experience or moment can wreck your routine. It can be good or bad.
Are you the type that loves to be alone? Being a loner won’t benefit you all times. Try your best to surround yourself with positive people and people who know much better than you do. People who have achieved what you are trying to achieve are the better option to help you come out of your comfort zone.
Accept Complete Responsibility
The truth is, we all want someone to put the blame of life on; but, I want you to know that successful people take responsibilities for their lives.
It is time for you to accept responsibility for your life. You need to take ownership of your results and actions. Responsibility is not a gift, but a choice. Responsibility is making a choice not to be a concern, but an asset. It is a choice to be a blessing and not a liability.
It is responsibility that makes a leader not skill, not position.
Don’t you ever try to transfer your responsibility to someone else. Do it yourself. If you fail or fall doing it, pick up yourself and carry on.
Don’t focus on the problem but on solution to the problem. Coming out of your comfort zone makes your life a seed and a blessing. You will be courageous by breaking out of your comfort zone. Great lessons in life are learned by taking risks and breaking out of your comfort zone.
Come on out…the world is waiting.
Photo Credit: Alberto Jorrin Rodriguez | Dreamstime.com