7 Benefits Of Getting Out Of Your Comfort Zone
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expect a different outcome.
~ Albert Einstein~
You can be more and do more then what you give yourself credit for.
That is proven by those who pushed themselves out of their comfort zone over and over again; think of Navy Seals, first responders, people who test themselves by getting on a survival program or who are moving to a different country. All of them feel they hit a wall of fear at one point, but they have to move around/ over/ through it to achieve their goal.
Does that mean those people are fearless? No way, they feel just as much fear as you do; the biggest difference is, they don’t give into it. They acknowledge their fear and push through it because they understand the following rewards are awaiting behind the wall of fear.
Learn problem solving: To find ways to push through your mental walls, you need to find different ways to do that. By challenging yourself, you will discover that you are more resourceful than you may think, and that difficult problems can be resolved in an easier way when you focus on finding a solution.
Gain compassion for self and others: By refocusing your attention, you start to notice the different mental and emotional needs you have and how to cater to them, and the same counts for the needs of the people around you. This will take the spotlight of your inner gremlin that is keeping you small and selfish.
You meet new and like-minded people: By getting comfortable by being uncomfortable, you will find that you are open for, and creating new friendships with people who you otherwise never would have a connection with. This opens up a whole new support system you can lean on when you encounter a difficult time.
Will be life altering: When you push through something that you never expected you could do, will give you such a great self-esteem boost that you never forget. This is the rush athletes and skydivers live for.
Understanding that different is not wrong: There are many ways to solve a problem, and for you things may work one way and for somebody else another. By getting out of your comfort-zone you start to respect all the different ways of dealing with challenges, and you are open for suggestions.
Builds stamina for the hard times in life: You have, or will encounter hard times in life, only because life will throw you curve balls. The uncomfortableness will help you to train the mindset you need to conquer the real big life challenges such as illness, lost of job, finance trouble, loss of a loved one, maybe a divorce. The more inner strength you have the better change you have at avoiding being in ground zero for a long period of time.
Changes perspectives: By changing perspectives you can go from hopelessness to hopeful, and find solutions for the trial at hand. It is like standing with your face in the corner; you see only what is in the corner. But if you turn around you see the whole room. That is what you need to see in life: the whole room.
With all the rewards above; you will find that the comfort you find in the long run, and the satisfaction to conquer obstacles in an empowering manner, outweigh the short feeling of comfortlessness you had to start with. By facing the dread head on you take control over your thoughts, speech and actions; you can overcome all hurdles that come your way, but also you are prepared to grab every opportunity that is presented to you.
Make no mistake, you miss more opportunities by sticking your head in the sand and stay in your comfort-zone.
Ellen Nyland is a transitions coach who helps you navigate the small and big forks of your life. Contact Ellen Nyland, author of the book “Life is Great Even When it Sucks”
