It’s difficult to give up on a lifestyle, on things, on people, even places when we became used to them over the years.
Let’s face it, change is hard. And being in your comfort zone (whatever that is for you) just feels better and requires less effort.
Your comfort zone is the space — physical, mental, emotional — that is familiar to you. It can mean different things to different people. Eating foods with specific spices. Driving the same route to school or work every day. Beginning conversations with friends in the same manner. Staying in a job not because it helps you grow your skills, but because it affords you a certain lifestyle. Being in a relationship that no longer feels right but you don’t want to be single again. Watching TV from your couch for hours before going to bed. Helping yourself to another plate of food because there are leftovers.
It’s difficult to give up on these things because over time they have turned into daily habits we repeat over and over, without really asking ourselves why we do them or if they’re still good for us.
Or maybe we don’t think about what happens next. We just think about how good and comfortable it feels now.
What if we changed our approach? Come up with a different way to do something. Stop a negative habit. Challenge ourselves to do something we think is impossible to do. Give ourselves the time and space to grow.
By stepping outside that comfort zone, we could focus on different things such as:
Personal growth.
When you confront something challenging, it usually happens outside of what you’re used to. This forces you to come up with solutions to deal with it, and you’re more likely to learn things you wouldn’t have had to otherwise.
Flexibility.
Every time you are out of your own environment, you learn to adapt in order to survive. You realize that you’ll need to develop skills to communicate better, get answers to questions, and use what you have to make the most of it.
A sense of wonder.
Getting out of your comfort zone shows you the world is bigger than you thought: there is still much to discover, things to learn, people to meet, conversations to mull over, little things to make you wonder and question and keep your mind open.
Wisdom.
Exploring new territory means gaining life experience. Experience is necessary to learn. Learning should lead to knowledge. And prolonged seeking of knowledge should lead to wisdom. This takes time. It’s the best way to make time work for you.
Self-discovery.
How do you know who you can become if you keep yourself stuck in the life you already inhabit? Imagine you decide to do something different this year. What if this decision helps you discover hidden strengths or even talents you didn’t know you have? To find out the best and strongest parts of you, you need to put in the effort, experience some discomfort, and certainly experiment. Think of it as a treasure hunt, but within yourself. There’s some gold you will uncover — but you have to keep your eyes focused on the future.
📖✏️ Getting out of our comfort zone is a popular topic here on Quora, and I am frequently asked questions about it. That’s why I created a workbook called Get Out of Your Comfort Zone. It’s a printable e-book consisting of 5 chapters, each explaining one step to get you out of your comfort zone, followed by question prompts and a workbook section. Find out more about it here.
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