How to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone

“Only a mediocre person is always at his best.” ~W. Somerset Maugham

Life begins at the end of our comfort zone.

Nobody likes making themselves vulnerable and taking risks, but it’s the only way to achieve success.

No risk, no glory.

This is an area I have personally struggled with all my life.

As a shy kid who grew into a shy adult, fear hindered me from some great opportunities at various stages of my life.

Resigning myself to a mentality of “good enough is good enough” factored in, as well.

Just in recent years, I finally started stepping out of my comfort zone.

It’s not easy and it’s awkward at times, but it’s 100% worth it.

Because I am able to do this, I’ve learned so many new things and have been afforded opportunities previously not thought possible.

There used to be so many things I thought I couldn’t do.

Now, it’s a matter of when I will do.

That’s the power of stretching yourself out of your comfort zone.

And if I can do it, you can, too.

Here’s what you need to know about stretching yourself out of your comfort zone:

**Few people actually want to get out of their comfort zone.**

The unfortunate truth is, most of us just don’t want to get out of our comfort zone.

We’re not willing to put in the work because it’s too hard, so we’ve settled for mediocrity instead.

Yes, stretching ourselves out of our comfort zone is scary.

But the payoff is tenfold.

I recently read some terrible statistics, as researched by David Godine.

He discovered a third of high school graduates never read another book in their lifetime. 42% of college graduates similarly never read a book again. Even worse, only 32% of the U.S. population has ever been in a bookstore.

Reading books is one of the best ways to stretch and grow yourself, so these statistics explain much about the state of our nation.

Not just where reading books are concerned, but the lack of motivation and disinterest in growing as a whole.

John Maxwell says, “We must be aware of the gap that stands between us and our potential, and let the tension of that gap motivate us to keep striving to become better.”

Respect the gap and vow to become better.

Even when it’s uncomfortable.

Recommended Reading: The 15 Invaluable Laws of Growth by John Maxwell

Settling for mediocrity ultimately leads to dissatisfaction.

“If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being, you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life.” ~Abraham Maslow

You want to lose weight, but the exertion required of exercise is too much for you.

Want a better job, but don’t even have a clue what you want to do.

Thinking about paying off your debt, but blow your paycheck on stuff you don’t need.

Know you should pick up a book and read, but spend hours mindlessly scrolling Facebook instead.

In order to experience true satisfaction in life, you have to step outside of your comfort zone.

You have to stop being controlled by your emotions and impulses.

Leave behind what feels safe, comfortable, and secure and push forward.

And ditch the excuses and bad habits.

How bad do you want what you want?

You have to be willing to give up instant gratification for long-term rewards.

I don’t exactly like getting out of bed at 5:30 every morning to work out, but the desire to be fit and healthy keeps me waking up early like clockwork, even on weekends.

My desire to be fit and healthy is stronger than my desire to hit snooze 50x and waste my morning.

I don’t want mediocre-I want to reach my potential.

You should want that, too.

Start from the inside out.

“Your circumstances may be uncongenial, but they shall not long remain so if you but perceive an ideal and strive to reach it. You cannot travel within and stand still without.” ~James Allen

You need to know your “why”-your reason to start.

No amount of wishful thinking or comparing your life to someone on Instagram will motivate you to get what you want.

You have to know why.

Your “why” will be your driving force.

When you stretch yourself on a daily basis, you’ll see changes come about that start on the inside, and eventually change what you’re seeing on the outside.

Work on changing your character, and you’ll change your surrounding environment.

Stretching yourself requires change.

“You can’t improve and avoid change at the same time.” ~John Maxwell

You must do what you have never done, even when it is uncomfortable.

This is how you change, and ultimately, how you improve.

You must change to see change.

Change one thing you do daily and it can change your life. Even a small change that seems insignificant on the surface.

20 minutes of exercise a day or 20 minutes of reading a day is 10 hours a month.

The repeated habit of getting out of your comfort zone sets you apart from others.

“Successful people set themselves apart because they initiate the improvement others need.” ~John Maxwell

When you get better, others around you get better.

You change your environment.

Since I began reading personal development books and working on pushing myself out of my comfort zone, I catch myself at work meetings coming up with great ideas out of nowhere or encouraging someone to be all I know they can be.

I’m getting up at 5:30 am to work out and spending 20 minutes a day reviewing my goals.

Spending hours working on my blog-something I created out of my imagination-after coming home from a long day.

Who is this person?

She’s someone I’ve become proud of.

Someone who changed her habits and is in the process of changing her life.

That’s what the power of change will do to you, if you let it.

A lifestyle of discomfort.

“If you won’t be better tomorrow than you were today, then what do you need tomorrow for?” ~Rabbi Nachman

When you’re on autopilot, doing the same things day in and day out, you have stopped truly living.

Even when you do find success, you have to always be striving for something more.

Otherwise, you’ll be picked right back up by the mediocre train.

Don’t just make stepping out of your comfort zone a sometimes thing.

Make it a lifetime thing.

Your goal should be to look back on your life and know no potential was wasted.

The opportunity to make a real, lasting impact.

“The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems.” ~Mahatma Gandhi

We are each born with significance inside us.

You may not think or even know this about yourself, but it’s true.

There’s something inside of you no one else has that will propel you to greatness if utilized.

It’s up to us to take responsibility of the seed God planted in each of us, and live up to our full potential.

What will you do with the gifting that has been bestowed upon you?

Settle for a lifetime of “good enough is good enough” and mediocrity?

Or be intentional about stretching yourself out of your comfort zone to reap the long-term rewards available to us when we live up to our potential?

Recommended Reading: High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become that Way by Brendon Burchard

Take Action: Ask Yourself These Questions

In what areas of your life have you settled?

Whatever those reasons are, you need to find internal reasons-your “why”-to motivate yourself to step outside your comfort zone.

If you need help figuring this out, think about what areas in your life makes you feel discontent.

Maybe it’s weight gain.

A bad habit you picked up.

Not following through on your plans to go back to school to get your Master’s degree.

Maybe a relationship in your life needs repairing and you’ve put it off because it requires going through to the other side of fear.

Whatever is bringing you discontent in your life, acknowledge it and choose to be intentional to stretch yourself outside of your comfort zone to bring change.

Change is the key to growth, so use what’s dissatisfying you to motivate you to get going.

A great way to bring about change is by setting goals for yourself.

Read my article, How to Set Goals and Achieve Them, for help setting real, tangible goals you’ll actually achieve. Don’t just write a goal down on a piece of paper and lose it in a drawer somewhere.

Final Note

Once you understand the importance of stretching yourself out of your comfort zone, it gets easier to push yourself to do it.

Remember: Few want to do it and next to nobody likes doing it-but it’s only on the other side of fear and discomfort you’ll get what you want in life.

In what areas of your life do you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone?