Step outside of your comfort zone

Do you fear the unusual? Not-knowing is terrifying sometimes. Going outside of what is accepted and normal is not done without some effort. Humans are creatures of habit, after all. But I will say this: on the other side of fearing the unusual is a whole new perspective on life. You need to step outside of your comfort zone and can in five steps.

To quote Robert White, “All concepts about stepping out of your comfort zone mean nothing until you decide that your essential purpose, vision and goals are more important than your self-imposed limitations.”

So shall we start there?

Rid the mind of “can’t.”
What have you excluded yourself from recently out of fear or misunderstanding? Negativity is the bane of human existence. We cut ourselves short by merely thinking about pessimistic scenarios and consequences. Stop berating your passions and curiosity. These self-imposed limitations that Robert White spoke of eat at your intuition. So even when your gut-feeling says do it, you get stuck dithering and never do anything. Or worse, you retrogress.

So instead of thinking, “This won’t work,” change your thoughts to “I won’t know until I try to make it work.” Replace fear-based questions with inquisitive ones like, “What if I just said hello?” “What if I give it a try?” “What if I talked about my passions more expressively?”

Visualize what you want.
Next comes the question of where you want to be today, tomorrow, and ten years from now. I doubt it is still wallowing in fear, right? By visualizing the person you wish to be or where you want to see yourself—either running a business or traveling the world—you instill yourself with confidence. By visualizing goals, you create pathways for methods of attainment. This also lets you be more open-minded in your approach.

Be proactive throughout life.
You will soon find that cancelling out the fear leads to a new progressiveness in your life. You will be more willing to handle things with action rather than wrapped up in fear. If some fears and scars are truly that gripping, speak to a life coach or therapist about it. Seek out answers and apply them.

And if you cannot boldly go, take baby steps. Build yourself up.

Invest in your development.
Many of us get crippled by financial fears. Rent, insurance, the phone bill, and food are all things that pop into our mind when we decide to do something unthought of or “crazy.” Rather than getting miserly, invest in enriching your life. Personal development is one way to enlighten your mind and give you a new perspective on going beyond your comfort zone. You will also receive inspiration from success stories that may be similar to yours.

In other words, if you ever wanted to dance, learn quantum physics, or speak a foreign language, the only thing you have to lose is something that can be gained back. Money.

Do the crazy thing.
Seriously, just do it. If crazy to you means choosing tofu over chicken, do it. Add a new music genre to your playlist. Read a book about something you never clearly understood. Use a different route to get to class or work. Just get out there and start making these changes. Over time, you will push your limits more.

You may eventually opt to try skydiving or scuba diving. Or you may finally approach your longtime crush, start a business, or get involved in ways you never would have dreamed of. The important thing is to listen to the voice coming from within that says, “Just give it a shot.”

Staying in your comfort zone leads to stagnation, boredom, and displeasure. Life begins outside of that unchanging sphere. Once you cross that boundary line you have set inside your mind, the easier it will be to try something new. Unconventional. You will unleash your true potential and do incredible things.