I Want to Get Out of My Comfort Zone

I Want to Get Out of My Comfort Zone
(but I’m too afraid)

This is an age-old story. We have hopes and desires. We dream about happier days and more fulfilling moments. But we’re stuck in our damn “comfort” zones and we lack the confidence to do anything about it. We talked last week about how important confidence is in our lives. Today, let’s talk about one of the biggest enemies of confidence: fear.

When we say, “I want to get out of my comfort zone,” fear is the voice that does everything possible to prevent that from happening. And it’s got all sorts of reasons…

“Too expensive”
“It’ll be embarrassing”
“They’ll get mad at you”
“You’ll lose everything”
“You’re not smart enough”

When fear is in charge, it basically slaps a label on all your dreams that says “TOO BIG A RISK” therefore preventing you from doing anything you really want to do.

If you are a fearful person stuck in a boring comfort zone, you can grow out of it! It is actually easier than you think. Confidence is a muscle you can grow. Like our physical muscles, it just takes exercise and nourishment.

How to Exercise Your Confidence Muscles

If you’ve never worked out before, you wouldn’t wander into a gym and do a full CrossFit class, right? To be successful, you would try a couple easy machines or movements and build up from there. Confidence works the same way. 

Let’s say your comfort zone is your job that makes you miserable. You dread going to work and feel very unfulfilled and unappreciated there. BUT, living without that paycheck and benefits is just too scary to do anything about it. Marching in tomorrow, declaring, “I QUIT!” and living happily ever after is just as out-of-reach as a couch potato winning a CrossFit competition. It’s not gonna happen.

However, you can begin to exercise your confidence by doing small things. Instead of quitting your job, try a much smaller action. You could potentially:

• Ask to leave an hour early on Friday afternoons
• Take a course outside of work to learn a new skill
• Make friends with someone in a career that you want to be in
• Ask your boss for a raise or promotion or perhaps a new department with different tasks

Trying one of these smaller tasks (or something like it) is doing a little exercise for your confidence muscle. There are tons of small ways to start building your own confidence so that you can transform into the fulfilled, self-assured, and hopeful human you’re meant to be. Here are some other confidence exercises to help you get out of that fearful mindset:

• Talk to a stranger
• Wear an outfit you love but feel conspicuous in
• Share something you’ve created: art, poetry, music, whatever. Put it out there for people to see.
• Explore something new… A different hiking trail, a friendship, a paint color, an author, etc.

These little tasks can end up being big dial movers. Once you have success (or realize you didn’t die) doing something small, you’ll be able to do something a little bigger, then a little bigger still. After some practice, you’ll be able to make major life-changing moves when and if they are needed. 

You can love yourself right out of your comfort zone by doing things that are scary. Yes, you’ll still notice the fear. However, it will no longer be the only voice in your head. You’ll be able to say, “Thank you for your concern Fear. I’m gonna go with Confidence on this one, though.”