How to break out of your comfort zone
Everyone has a comfort zone that we unconsciously depend on. While comfort zones are nice, they can easily become, well, a little too comfortable. When that happens, new things don’t get tried, and changes don’t get made.
You are stuck right where you are.
The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way. You can break out of your comfort zone, and it doesn’t have to be complicated. Here are three ways you can make 2020 the year you do just that.
First, adopt a Growth Mindset.
Rather than viewing your comfort zone, as the place you’re always going to be, no matter what, realize that you have the power to change things.
A Fixed Mindset tells you (falsely) that things are set, and nothing can change. With a Growth Mindset, you understand that everything (and yes, this includes you) can grow and change. You are limited only by what you believe (and just how comfy your comfort zone is.) Where you currently are now does not have to be where you are in two weeks or two months or two years.
You are more like a plant or a caterpillar than a rock, you are not stuck in one place.
You can make changes. With that thought in mind, why not pick something you’d like to change and start on it today? Start small and ease your way out of that comfort zone.
Second, become more curious.
Stop doing things the way you’ve always done them. Try going to new places and doing new things. Get outside of your current experience and expertise.
For example, if you’re a reader, try reading books, magazines, websites you aren’t familiar with. If you’re more of a movie or television show person, try watching shows or movies you normally wouldn’t. If you’re a rom-com kind of person, watch a documentary or an action hero story. If you’re more of a superhero fan, watch a few indie movies. If your music of choice is Classic Rock, try listening to rap or country.
You get the idea.
Go to a cultural event you’ve never attended before, like an opera or a hip-hop concert or an open mic night (extra points for getting up the nerve to participate.)
Make it a point to try new foods or new restaurants regularly. I have friends that pick a different country each month and learn about their culture and cuisine. At the end of the month, they make a couple of recipes from that country, then they pick a new country the next month, and do it again.
Be willing to look at things from a different point of view.
While we are all self-centered in our own ways, it’s not always serving our best interest. Listen to other people’s opinions, whether political, religious, economic, sexual orientation, or anything else. Remember, you’re just listening.
You don’t have to be right, and they don’t have to be wrong.
You aren’t going to change any one’s mind, so don’t go into the conversation trying to make changes. You’ll learn something just by being open and curious.
Finally, challenge yourself to push your boundaries.
If you can’t completely get out of your comfort zone, at least make it a little bigger.
Pick one small thing each day that makes you just a little uncomfortable, which makes you have to engage with the world just a little differently. Whether it’s taking a new way to work, or making an effort to look people in the eye when you talk to them, or changing up your sandwich choice at lunch, everything counts.
Pick your one thing and do it. Then pick something for the next day and do it. Day by day, you’ll be pushing the boundaries of your comfort zone, so it can’t help but expand.
You and your world will be better for it.
Learn more here: Being in Action is the #1 skill all Action Heroes possess when it comes to getting things done. Not sure what kind of Action Hero you are? Take the Action Hero quiz here.
