Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Your Life Will Change

 

Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Your Life Will Change-Part 1

Career Coach Kathy Shabotynskyj    

Push yourself out of your comfort zone and you will grow. Guaranteed. You will feel great and you’ll be making all kinds of discoveries along the way. Scientific studies conclude over and over that new challenges and experiences rewire your brain. Think about all the things that you never tried to do, and along the way you may stumble upon something you love. Getting out of your comfort zone builds a stronger, healthier, adaptable brain. Research shows that new exercises benefit your brain, and it is a great way to keep your brain healthy. 

There are so many benefits to getting out of your comfort zone including a boost to your self-confidence. When you make accomplishments, you hold your head a bit higher and take pride in your actions. You also are much more interesting to others as they watch you move closer to your goals and dreams.

Getting out of your comfort zone is a powerful tool for transforming your life. The most common outcomes are learning, growth and success. 

There are many reasons to get out of your comfort zone and in simple terms, you become a better version of yourself by finding new challenges and growth opportunities. Previously obscured barriers of your own making may suddenly disappear as your comfort zone expands, allowing you to see new opportunities. In these times of a global pandemic and political turmoil, we all need to develop our resilience muscles. Taking risks and trying new endeavors will help you prepare for whatever comes your way. With each new initiative, the next initiative is easier. Success breeds more success, increasing your value proposition and your net results: confidence, experience, learning, and inspired determination.

This blog title is Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Your Life will Change because it advocates for you to try new experiences that can change everything about what you believe, what you like to do, how you behave, and how you live. The possibilities are truly endless. Even if you fail in an endeavor, you will grow and learn.

Being of a certain age with many years of experience, I thought I reached the goal of getting to my comfort zone. It turns out that the comfort zone is not the best place to reside 100%. To increase productivity and drive high performance, I need to get out of my comfort zone. This week, along with my 2021 Visioning, I am taking a hard look at opportunities for me to get out of my comfort zone. If you have suggestions, please share in the comments. Also, share in the comments any experience you have of getting out of your comfort zone.

This blog is all about why you want to get out of your comfort zone, and I plan to add a part two focusing on how to get out of your comfort zone. Until then, I hope all the facts in this blog will inspire you to take some risks and try something you've been avoiding.  Go for it!

For more Info about life career success  visit our Shining Stars Coaching Circle at https://www.shiningstarsconnect.com/bookings-checkout/shining-stars-coaching-circle

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Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Your Life Will Change – Part II

Career Coach Kathy Shabotynskyj

In the Part I of the blog, Get Out of Your Comfort Zone and Your Life Will Change, you learned the reasons why you want to get out of your comfort zone. Part II focuses on how to get out of your comfort zone.

 

Did Part I inspire you to take some risks and try something you've been avoiding? I was inspired and walking my talk - I’ve been stepping out of my comfort zone. A few days ago, I had a date. Yes, my first date since becoming a widow in 2018. In actuality, my first date in about 40 years! Yikes, I really went out of my comfort zone, marched into the fear zone, explored the learning zone and yes, I reached the growth zone. When there are other dating opportunities, I will again need to leave my comfort zone, tread through the fear zone, and reach for the learning and growth zones.

You were guaranteed in Part I that if you push yourself out of your comfort zone that you will grow. You will also feel great and you’ll be making all kinds of discoveries along the way. That is exactly what happened to me, I pushed myself and now I know I can do it again. Getting out of your comfort zone can change everything about what you believe, what you like to do, how you behave, and how you live. The possibilities are truly endless.

 

Your comfort zone is defined as the place where you feel comfortable and your abilities are not being tested. Some of my most exciting experiences started out as totally out of my comfort zone but resulted in joy and growth. New experiences can do much more than enrich your life and your career; new experiences can change your life and the direction of your career.

 

You can push yourself too, and here are six ways to get out of your comfort zone.

 

ENGAGE THE BRAIN – LEARN SOMETHING NEW

Have you ever yearned to play the piano or an instrument? Or speak another language? Ballroom dancing? Do you have a book in you? Learning new skills is great for your healthy brain and can also add to your value as an employee. Maybe you are ready to take that exam that will earn you a promotion. Check with your manager to understand your company’s values and the gaps they are seeking to fill. Maybe get your Project Management or Six Sigma certification. Learning is a life-long skill that keeps you young and sharp. Keep learning and seeking new opportunities to increase your skill set.

 

FEEL THE FEAR AND DO IT ANYWAY

I always thought this expression came from Zig Ziglar but instead learned that this is the title of the classic guide to self-empowerment by Dr. Susan Jeffers. This book inspires with dynamic techniques and profound concepts that have helped countless people grab hold of their fears and move forward with their lives. Check in and make a list of your fears. Now go over each item on the list and determine, what is one step you could take to move closer toward overcoming that fear? Ask yourself, what is the worst that could happen and what is the best that could happen if this fear was eliminated.

 

SWITCH IT UP

Change your schedule, change your routines. Try it and keep track of your discoveries. Perhaps you watch the news or Jeopardy nightly. Substitute something new you have wanted to try; a bicycle ride, reading a book, yoga or socializing. Look at your daily routine and switch it up to a bit to get out of your comfort zone. If you always read murder-mysteries, switch it up and try autobiographies. Look at your world like an explorer and see what you find.

 

PUT YOURSELF OUT THERE

This is one that is both in and out of my comfort zone. This blog for instance, is cross posted on any number of social media outlets. That’s putting myself out there, but anxiety surrounds me over the value and volume of my social media exposure. (A work in progress for me.) Posting your activities, a special recipe, opinions, or daily events can bring many responses on social media. Try sharing your thoughts or post a personal accomplishment and see what feedback you receive. The “likes” and comments will make you smile. (Please add a LIKE to this post and make me smile. 😊 )

 

DON’T SETTLE – REACH

I’ll equate settling with staying in your comfort zone with one stipulation. There may be some discomfort in your comfort zone too, and you must first eliminate whatever is not serving you. Make your comfort zone, 100% comfortable by tossing out whatever may be causing discomfort and now you are ready to reach. Reach out to those who have what you want, reach out to coaches to help you get what you want and reach out and follow those who are playing at the highest level. Learn from the best and the brightest and reach for new goals.

 

BABY STEPS

It’s said that the longest journey starts with a single step. Getting out of your comfort zone can be managed with small steps forward until you reach your objective. Running a marathon would take most people out of their comfort zone and since that distance is so daunting, many never start. Breaking that goal down into smaller steps and reaching each of the smaller goals will eventually lead to being prepared to run a marathon or the realization that you and marathons aren’t a match.

 

Let me know in the comments if any of the six strategies helped you and share where you are going outside your comfort zone. One other strategy that can really motivate you is seeing others and what they are doing. I bet some of the readers will have great success stories that will inspire us all.

 

Career Coach Kathy Shabotynskyj has been helping job seekers for 20 years. After 13 years in non-profit leadership roles, Kathy trained with Right Management Consultants in all phases of career transition. Thousands of job seekers have landed their dream jobs after one-on-one coaching, expert resume writing or workshops with Career Coach Kathy. In 2009 Kathy co-authored How to Find a GOOD Job in 90 Days, The 5 Step Guide to a Successful Job Search. If your career needs a boost, send a note: kathy@mycareerteam.com.